Blog

As a writer, you really never know what will serve as research fodder for your fiction. In 1978, as a college student I attended the University of Costa Rica, in San Jose, Costa Rica, for three semesters as an exchange student. There I met and dated a Salvadoran political refugee named Pedro. He told me…  Read More

The thing about setting out to write a novel about anything when you’re a fiction writer, is you usually—almost always—run into a topic you know nothing about. As a former newspaper reporter, I’m accustomed to this. I was expected to become an instant expert on a new topic every day. Sewer systems, zoning ordinances, AIDS,…  Read More

The youth minister of my church gave the message on Sunday. His name is Chris Baxter and the title of his talk (they don’t like to call it a sermon) was “So Easy Chris Baxter Can Do It.” Right off the top, one of the things he shared is that he is a “hot mess.”…  Read More

A study released recently says more and more children are growing up with an underdeveloped sense of empathy. In this world of social media and immediate gratification, they are frequently the subject of photos taken every day for the purposes of sharing with the world. It’s easy for them to get the sense that they are the center…  Read More

My life is a bit like the weather in Texas. If I don’t like it, I only have to wait a second and it’ll change. One thing is for certain, everything changes. Strange as it may seem, that fact gives me a certain amount of comfort. How we navigate through the seasons in our lives…  Read More