"Who are you going to believe, me or your own eyes?" The internet widely attributes this quote to Groucho Marx, but the gist of the joke is that the line was spoken by Chico Marx, while dressed as Groucho. In a movie (Duck Soup, 1933). In other words, you cannot trust what you see or... Continue Reading →
The cool blue 225's V8rumbled comfortably down the highway, rocking gently over every dip like old bedsprings on wheels. Reverend What's feet dangled above the rear floorboard, the toes of his Italian wing-tips brushing against the vinyl cover of the front bench seat. He wore a bone-colored linen suit and held the hat in his... Continue Reading →
A rare day off, so I finally get to work on my novel. The first appearance of Reverend What and Kumiko Yasinovskaya: Paradise Motel, Berea, KY. Reverend What, a diminutive man, crossed the threshold from his motel room to the outside world, dressed only in pink-striped pajamas and a jipi fedora, hand-woven by Mayans in... Continue Reading →
In the fourth grade, I decided that I wanted to be a writer. That was it, that was what I was going to do. My mom bought a typewriter and a subscription to Writer's Digest for me. My fourth grade teacher gave us cardboard, construction paper and wallpaper samples so we could make our own books. I filled... Continue Reading →
Excerpt from "1993", in which Norea, about 10 years old, was given a sleep aid before running away from home. After a particularly bizarre dream involving a talking praying mantis, she wakes again, perhaps still inside a dream: Norea rubbed her eyes. “Speak very quietly now,” a warm voice softly instructed her. “Why?” She shook... Continue Reading →
I've felt pulled in so many directions lately, but I have not, for one moment, stopped writing this novel in my head the last few weeks. Today, I finally got to put pen to paper (literally: Pilot 7.0 gel and a yellow legal pad) and began the next chapter, in which Norea, about 10 years... Continue Reading →
Well, okay, not really. Just like Satan and many other fantastic characters, writers are prone to lying. It's not quite a lie, however, as it is "true", as writers will often tell you...simply not "fact." Grad school ended a mere two months ago, and I had to take a break, adjust to post-grad life, and get... Continue Reading →
The following is an abridged version of a five-part series I published on moviepilot.com. There, I compared the short-lived NBC series Constantine to the long-running FX show Justified to show what Constantine should do to succeed on another network...basically, it's an article about the difference between trope (read: cliché)-ridden network television and the more daring and... Continue Reading →
I'm about to graduate with a degree in Religious Studies. Thursday, I submitted the final paper of my graduate degree: this one an attempt to salvage the reputation of second century Alexandrian Christian (often called "gnostic") Valentinus from the heresiological reports of Church Fathers like Irenaeus and the resulting orthodox historical narrative that shapes... Continue Reading →
