Have you heard about “The Secret”? Several of the book’s techniques have been around for years and championed by none other than Oprah Winfrey herself. One method uses positive visualization and thinking to achieve your most desired goals. Basically, if you picture yourself healthy, wealthy and wise – you’ll become… Continue

There are many spiritual elements to writing the book In Wake of a Following, and with them, comes fear. I worry that stirring up memories from the 1950s Virgin Mary sightings will release a measure of bad karma. My investigation is a lot like descending into a dank, unlit basement. Deep down, I’m troubled. With each bad thing that happens to my loved ones – my sister’s cancer, financial stress, a recent car crash – I wonder. Is my writing obsession a catalyst of doom?



I… Continue

It has been advised repeatedly, that to be a better writer, we must dedicate ourselves to on-going reading. I’ll admit, most of the books I’ve read in the past few years have been related to “how to be a better writer”. It’s ironic, really. Does this mean I’ll be doubly good at my craft because I’m pairing both reading and reading on writing? One can only hope.

I’ve moved on to the classics, or to authors most celebrated. I am reading East of… Continue

When a person stumbles upon a deeply rooted secret, it’s nearly impossible to keep quiet. And yet, that is exactly what my family did for decades. None of us had the gumption to ask dad about the bizarre happenings in Wisconsin. We each furtively hoped he’d one day grant us an exclusive tell-all about the time grandfather abandoned the family to become co-leader of a controversial, anti-communist religious movement.



In 1950, my grandfather,… Continue