Notes, ideas, updates, and observations from the intersection of storytelling, songwriting, structure, and creative craftsmanship.
Current topics include:
- Built to Sing
- The Cold Read (TCR)
- lyric writing
- fantasy worldbuilding
- story engineering
- ongoing writing projects
Crime, Cue Balls & Q Sauce
Sticks used to hustle pool.Stone used to manage portfolios.Now they’ve sunk everything into a BBQ food truck. What could go wrong? How about small-town secrets, shady deals, and a trail of trouble that smells like hickory smoke? Burnt Ends is a savory mystery served hot—equal parts clever, chaotic, and coated in BBQ sauce. It’s the…
Burnt Ends Is Here—Southern Grit, Smoke, and Second Chances
If you’ve read my work before, you know me for epic fantasy or faith-based nonfiction. Burnt Ends is neither—but it might be the most fun I’ve had writing a novel yet. Set in 1983 Piney Woods, Texas, Burnt Ends is a Southern grit story about two men on the edge of redemption and ruin. Ralph…
Which of These Characters Do You Like Best?
Last week I spent some time in Homewood, Alabama. I was there with a couple of novels and a strong need to unplug. I read A Necessary Evil by Abir Mukherjee and Camino Island by John Grisham—two very different books, but both reminders of how character is the engine behind every great story. Coming back…
Bernon Books 