May should finally bring the release of Underneath, my horror single. I had hoped you'd already have it in your hand, but producing a chapbook is not at all like producing copy and sending it off to become the printer's headache. Chapbooks are homemade affairs and, if I'm the one putting something together, my name … Continue reading
His legs had gone numb. Knowing the lack of feeling meant nothing good, he nonetheless enjoyed his respite from pain. His head, though, was another matter entirely. He could feel every millimeter of the gash on his scalp, like some Cherokee warrior had done a half-assed job collecting his trophy. To distract himself, Cyrus fidgeted with the Zippo, turning it over and over in his palm like some addict’s version of a rosary.
The silence of his tomb, a blessing at first, had grown more maddening than mollifying. Absent the thunder of the continuous miner and the rattle of conveyors straining to carry that cursed rock to the surface, Cyrus’s mind was too at liberty to reflect. The past, crisp as freshly ironed linens and pungent as death, scratched and clawed its way to the forefront of his mind. Voices long dead seemed to seep from the rock to settle in his ears.
Greetings, dear readers. I'm dropping by with a bit of a teaser for UNDERNEATH, which will be coming out next month as a digital single and a Limited Edition chapbook featuring artwork from my good friend, Jason Webb. Only 50 copies of the Limited Edition chapbook are being made and each will come complete with … Continue reading
Generosity and the lack of generosity are topics front and center in the media these days. The wealthy laud their own generosity even as the less fortunate criticize their lack of the same. Protestors line sidewalks to protest the greedy 1% while just a block or two away, a homeless man dies with an empty … Continue reading
Facebook is a strange animal. As I prepared to hit the hay last night, I came across a Facebook alert mentioning that two of my good friends had replied to a status update from a gentleman whose name I’ve heard from time to time yet have no recollection of meeting. These two friends, aside … Continue reading
Dear Friends, Some time ago, I mentioned that I was meeting with someone about co-authoring a book with me that is unlike anything I’ve ever written. While my co-author’s identity will remain a secret until the book is finished, I can now tell you a little bit about the project: an autobiographical journey through … Continue reading
My good friend, Ryan Jennings, lives in Healdton, Oklahoma. Healdton is a small, oil field town that has seen its fortunes run dry and, back in 1984, my dad was called to pastor a small Baptist Church there called Bethel Baptist. I was 11 years old that winter holiday when we packed our belongings … Continue reading
When I was a teen growing up in rural Oklahoma where my father pastored a small church, one of my favorite songs was a tune called “How Many Times (Seventy Time Seven)” by the band White Heart. The song, of course, is built around that great conversation in Matthew 18 when Peter asked … Continue reading
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I've always loved to watch children create. Whether they are building a castle out of Duplos to fend off an impending dragon attack or fingerpainting a work of abstract wonder, their imaginations don't often know the limitations that years on this hard earth can shackle us with. Kids give themselves freely and unabashedly to whatever they … Continue reading