I am almost ashamed to say it, but for the first time in my life, I feel compelled to give props to a person I have personally loathed for years. Not sure if you have ever heard of him, but the guy's name is Tom Brady. He is the last person in the world I thought I would ever want…
Often in my writing circles the subject of fairy tale retellings comes up in conversation, and always to the same odd mixture of reactions—weary resignation, mildly hopeful interest, and a good bit of eye-rolling. To say the entertainment market is saturated with these fairy tale retellings is an understatement, whether it’s books, movies, or those darn Disney remakes. And yet…
I was listening to a podcast and the speaker was talking about an article from CNN demanding that we use new (neo) pronouns when non-binary people want us to. Neo-pronouns include xe/xem/xyr, ze/hir/hirs, and ey/em/eir. The speaker believed that these new pronouns are nothing but posturing by those who want to be seen as different, interesting, and unique. They compared…
I heard a song today, and boy did it strike a nerve. Not only was the tune catchy, but this song has made a giant impact on the mainstream of social media like no other song I know. It is called “The Rich Man North of Richmond” by Oliver Anthony. It is an ode to the trials of the regular…
Ah Barbie, every little girl’s favorite dress-up doll. Before there is ever political backbiting in a young girl’s life, all little darlings are bonded by one common thread: a love for the classic doll and all the accessories you could wish for. And I was no exception. In fact, I was downright obsessed with the 11.5-inch beauty. As a child…
June is known as Pride Month, so Pastor Christopher J. Weeks (and author of A Call to Nobility, Boys Will Be Men, 2085: The Rise & Fall of the Sisters), gave a message this past Sunday addressing this very delicate topic to the church; what our position should be and how we should respond as Christ followers. We are proud…
1% on Rotten Tomatoes, 1%! The new Netflix docu-drama “Queen Cleopatra” starring black actress Adele James, is not being received well, and according to Rotten Tomatoes reviews, it is being summarily rejected by 99% of the people who have watched it. In case you are wondering, that is not considered a good score. But not to worry, instead of listening…
Quiet desperation is how the poet Henry David Thoreau described the way most people live their lives. Instead of facing new challenges with an optimistic hope of success, many people would rather give up and hide from the world. I often feel this emptiness of soul right when I wake up in the morning, especially during the dark and cold…
It feels almost like a cliché to discuss the taboos surrounding Christians writing horror, but perhaps that is only because I have been a Christian horror writer for many years now. To begin, I can tell you that I have never been confronted about my affinity for horror outright, scolded for doing something wrong, counseled about my interest in the…
Growing up in the 80s, I was exposed to some pretty dark films made for kids. Case in point, one of the first movies I ever saw in the theater was Return to Oz, a 1985 Walt Disney Studios production that was an unofficial sequel to the 1939 classic, Wizard of Oz starring Judy Garland, and inspired by the books…