While Dona and I were at college, we knew some guys who felt it ‘unspiritual’ to date. I wondered if they expected a lady dressed in white to show up at the door and say, “I’m God’s will for your life.” But I do understand their trepidation. It’s a scary thing to be young and […]
Before I leave dating lessons learned from Dona, I’ll give a few dating rules: Three lighthearted rules from Dona and three heavy rules from me. Scoff if you want, but they worked toward our relationship. Dona’s Dating Rule #1: Never Date a Guy Who Owns a Van A van could mean… If you can’t figure […]
A fantasy or science fiction author chucks out one or more real physical laws in order to construct an imaginative world where magic and dragons coexist, where starships can exceed the speed of light, where heroes still look good even with blue skin. But there’s danger in straying too far from this real universe where […]
When I think about what makes an engaging character in a book, I begin to think on what it means to be a person. What is ‘me’? In writing science fantasy, I’m not interested in simply ‘human’. Human is a species. I want to know what it means to be a person no matter the […]
Let’s look into the intriguing world of Panem from The Hunger Games Trilogy. No spoilers though! You need to find out some things yourself. That’s the fun of reading! Those moments of “No way!” or “Yikes!” or “Ah Pa, that makes me cry.” Through the three books, the world of Panem unfolds solely through the […]
Another three short lessons learned from Dona on dating. In the last story, we had left my past self wondering if a girl friend-zoning one guy meant the same for all guys. I found that not to be the case. Now forward a bit in time. Common Dislikes Bring People Together Each college spring break, the […]
I wonder about the question of universal redemption from evil. It’s the question that started me writing my science fantasy Curious Origins of a Restless World. Here’s my thoughts on the purely theoretical question of fantasy theology… Or is it theoretical? 1. Non-Sentient Let’s first consider a planet with life but no life that has […]
