How can failure lead to redemption? How can love take root in the worst of situations? These are questions that, as a pastoral minister for over two decades, I saw answered by the people in crisis who came to our church for help. They found the courage to turn away from despair, work through the darkness, and emerge from failure with strength. People like them are a continuing source of inspiration for my writing.
Another source is Tolkien's concept of the "eucatastrophe," in which a tragic event can become redemptive. (See more about this on the "Interview" page.) His works shine with the belief that our lives have a purpose and that we have the power to achieve that purpose.
Jung's idea of "the shadow" is another theme that runs through my stories. The shadow is the dark side of ourselves that we don't want to look at, the thing we don't wish to be--and therefore gets projected into our nightmares, our horror stories, and even onto other people or groups. Yet those that make the tough moral effort to deal with their shadow also become aware of their own inner light.
Although spiritual undercurrents are part of all of my work, my main goal is to tell a gripping tale. My writings include such things as strange beings and ancient blood-rites, people who believe they should never fall in love, and a subterranean stronghold where fire is forbidden.
Even though I write fantasy, my books are realistic in the sense that my protagonists face the same challenges many of us do: dealing with a dysfunctional family, struggling to believe in our own power for good, enduring suspicion and prejudice because of what we look like, and longing for a closeness that often eludes us. My writing isn't only about the dark journey, but also about finding the light. It's about hope.
Part of my writing education included a week at Viable Paradise, a fantasy and science fiction workshop held on Martha's Vineyard. There were only twenty-eight writers across the nation who were accepted that year, and I could hardly believe I was one of them. We got a chance to spend time with such stalwarts in the fantasy and science fiction fields like Elizabeth Bear, John Scalzi, Steven Gould, and Debra Doyle---all of whom generously shared their time and expertise, and one of whom copyedited three of my books.
I'm a member of Phi Beta Kappa, the Alliance of Independent Authors, and Detroit Working Writers, a Detroit 300 Heritage organization that has been encouraging high standards in creative writing since 1900.
My favorite book characters are divided into the logical thinkers like Sherlock Holmes, Spock, and Data and the intuitive heroes like Frodo, Dag Redwing Hickory, Ged, and Fr. Emilio Sandoz.
