What I Write...
I've written hundreds of articles, twice as many blog posts, dozens of letters to editors. I've written text for national marketing ads, state-wide direct mail and newspaper ads, flyers and brochures. There have been radio and TV spots, as well as employee manuals and training guides. Thankfully, most of those things are lost forever! Ha!
Below you'll find a few of the things I've worked on over the years that seemed to resonate with people. It isn't a full list, by any means, but perhaps it will give you a feel for my writing.
Work In Progress
I am currently finishing my short story collection, The Blues and The Oranges, and working on a novel tentatively titled, I Should Love You Less.
Forthcoming
My story, Perhaps You Should Visit Some Day, is slated to appear in the Spring 2013 issue of New Plains Review. It will be available on select newstands and via Amazon.com. More information will be posted when the issue is available.
Recent Publications
I was honored to contribute to the anthology, Letters To Me: Conversations With a Younger Self, edited by Dan Schmidt and featuring a wonderful lineup of writers. (Click the cover at the left to buy the book from Amazon, or contact me for information about discounts on bulk orders of 10 or more.)
From the book description: "A broken heart, a new job, an unexpected pregnancy, a confrontation, a win, a setback -- not uncommon experiences when you're between 18 and 30. But what if you could talk to yourself just when that was happening, in the light of everything since: what would you say? With LETTERS TO ME, you can listen in as artists, teachers, poets, consultants, bloggers, pastors, and activists from a wide range of backgrounds recall a significant event -- and then speak to a younger version of themselves with compassion and wisdom about what it means, and how it mattered."
I have also recently published a workbook to complement my Legacy of Words classes. You can preview the book (and purchase a copy) by clicking on the cover to the left.
Legacy writing is a literary form that draws on several other literary traditions: genealogy, auto-biography, family history, and memoir. Leaving a Legacy of Words is one way we can leave behind a piece of our story to children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, siblings, and friends. This workbook is designed to help the individual, would-be Legacy writer, as well as to be used as a resource for my classroom series: Your Legacy of Words.
Details about my Legacy Writing classes are posted on the Creative Writing Instruction page. I teach Legacy writing to small groups and individuals in the Bradenton, Sarasota, and Tampa Bay areas of Florida, or online via video and email.
Honors and Awards
I was awarded a two-week writing residency by the Brush Creek Foundation for the Arts where I was writer-in-residence in May of 2012.
Eunoia Review
My short story (and novel excerpt), Most Dead Birds Are Never Found, appeared in Eunoia Review in the winter of 2012.
You can read the story here.
Epiphmag.com - Epiphany
My short story, Dudley's Sacrifice, is featured in the 12th issue of Ephiphany Magazine (Online). Click on the cover art (by Dan Williams) to the left to read the story.
I also wrote a brief blog post about this story at my blog, Stories I Read, Stories I tell.
Ozone Park Journal
My story, Solomon's Ditch, was featured in the literary magazine of the Queens College of New York literary magazine, Ozone Park Journal. You can read Solomon's Ditch online by clicking on the cover image to the left.
I also blogged about this story two times: The Way a Story Begins and Literary Life, 3.0
The First Line
My story, Cop-Cop Cop, was featured in the literary magazine, The First Line. You can read a .pdf version of the story by clicking on the cover.
This story was also re-printed on the now-defunct website called A Four Cornered Universe where it won second prize in their summer fiction contest.
The First Line is published quarterly, and every story included in a given issue starts with the same first line. You can find The First Line's Website and learn more about the journal, including upcoming submission deadlines.
MTCup Review
An oldie, but a goodie...If you click the cover, you can read the story.
This was my first fiction publication, back in the undergrad days. I would say this is a decent example of the fiction work at that time, but I like to think I've come a long way since then...
This story, Things He Wasn't Supposed to Do, was printed in the now-defunct MTCup Review, a literary magazine of Ball State University. BSU has a new(er) lit mag now being produced called, The Broken Plate.
Can My Marriage be Saved?
I was one of several writers who had the opportunity to work with Mae and Erika Chambers in putting together their book, Can My Marriage be Saved? The book is packed full of good stories about troubled marriages and the lengths the people involved have gone to in an effort to save their marriage.
You can get a copy of
Can My Marriage be Saved?: True Stories of Saved Marriages
at Amazon. (5 star average!!)
Facing the Coming Storm
Prior to the election of 2008 I began writing this book that predicted that the economic downturn under President Bush was just the beginning and that the Obama administration would continue many of the same mistakes made by the prior administration, thus lengthening the economic recession.
Huh. Go figure.
The book is no longer in print (topical and timely=short lived) but the speaking engagements and radio interviews were fun, at the time!
Digital Journal Articles
Back before I started working on my Master's of Fine Arts degree, I was writing for a website called, Digital Journal. It was a fun way to exercise the writing brain, a bit, and I enjoyed it.
I've included links to a few of my more interesting DJ pieces: articles that received a fair amount of attention at the time, and I think demonstrate some of where I come from, as a writer."
David Letterman Building Dedicated At Ball StateMore to come...
I'll get more samples posted, as time allows. Thanks for reading!