Archive

{This article originally appeared as a guest blog post on the Feedblitz Blog, owned and operated by Phil Hollows. I’m reprinting it this week as a part of my ongoing discussion of earning a [...]

It’s a new look here at The Writing Life, all in anticipation of the May 2013 release of my first book, Flashes of War. A lot of you have been asking how you can help this book become a [...]

There’s no denying it. Writers need to be able to write on walls. We like to tack stuff up, smudge things out, organize and then rearrange notes. What kinds of notes? Bar napkins, scrap [...]

It’s hard to deny–being on campus feels good. I’ve heard late-night hip hop blasting from high, Virginia brick buildings. I’ve attended a chamber music concert. I’ve [...]

Every Emerging Writer at Randolph College teaches the same 1-credit course, but each writer gets to design the course according to his or her interests and strengths. With a title like [...]

This weekend, for my 34th birthday, I got to wake up in a new place: a writer’s apartment on the campus of Randolph College in Lynchburg, Virginia. Yes, I took my life off the road. Yes, I [...]

I’ve heard rumblings for over a year now that our Micaville Post Office at the intersection of Highway 19E and 80S in Yancey County, North Carolina, might be closed. So you can bet when I [...]

I’m very pleased to be able to share the first full length story in my forthcoming collection, Flashes of War. This was published recently by Hot Metal Bridge, the literary magazine of the [...]

Ladies and Gentlemen, drums please… Here’s a list of the top ten books I read in 2012, in no particular order: 1. For its wisdom, mastery, tone, and adventure: The Sea Runners by Ivan [...]

It’s an annual tradition, folks! Here’s a list of every book I read in 2012, and stay tuned for my top 10, listed next week on this blog. I didn’t make it to my hoped-for 52 [...]