My one claim to fame is a short story I wrote back in 2000, ( A.D. not B.C.), for the Christmas issue of the Guideposts Magazine. This one, showered upon my family several years in the running, like the visits of unpopular in-laws or "You Have Won" mailings, was first entitled "The Little Christmas Tree". Guideposts renamed the story, "Even in the Barracks", which made no sense to me at all. But, I got paid $200 for it. Sense then, I've been unable to write short stories and devote my limited skills to novel length manuscripts and the occasional e-mail to fans and family. You people should be happy I don't use face book or my space, I'd haunt you to your grave with witty sayings, bad advice and over the shoulder taunts. I don't do this mainly because I am computer illiterate and unable to grasp the use of such things. I only owe this blog stuff to my eldest daughter Elizabeth and urgings of my lovely wife.
Anyway, about writing- I find that writing my stories are like a daily dose of repeated paper cuts in an attempt to find just the right word or sentence to describe what I want to say. On the plus side though, is the sudden elation of finding that invaluable word or a sentence, or paragraph, which can give me a lead into the persona of a new character or present the reader with a grasp of what a heavenly golden highway might look like. ( I fought with this while trying to describe how the Heavenly Host descends upon the earth in the Lamb of God's Return).
Now, like most writers I mimic my favorite authors: W.E.B. Griffen, Clive Cussler, Edgar Rice Burroughs and Louie L'amour. With a dash of Tom Clancy and Steven Coonts. I write in a dialogue style; this is where the characters talk to one another to tell the story and the narrator sets the scenes. In a narrative style the narrator does just about everything, with the occasional dialogue tossed in. I also have to create my characters and bring them to life so that you can relate to them, as I do. Sometimes this can be difficult. I may see them perfectly, but I must present them in a way that you can almost read my mind and see them as I do. I've read so many books where the author fails to do this and the characters die quickly in my mind as I end up having to figure out who or how this person is in appearence and it may not go with the tale the writer had planned.
In nearly every writer's magazine I am told a writer should write what he knows about. In "A Badge and the Cross- Book One of the series of 5 stories, entitled- Stronghold", I use my actual police cases and experiences from when I was a member of the Skagway Police Department. Mona and I lived here for over 2 years and I admit, this was my first experience into spiritual warfare. I had only been a Christian for a very little time and was nearly overwhelmed by...you can call it the Dark Side.
This story had 15 chapters and was 445 pages of a double-spaced format. I kept it short because I had hoped, if bought up by a publisher, I could provide further stories based on my career and Christian walk. I created imaginary characters, added to our real life experiences with some interesting fiction themes.
Based in Skagway, I tell of the towns early roots in a lust for gold, prostitution, murder and violence, thievery and all too many cases of sheer madness. Jake Roberts is returning to Skagway, some 20-years after leaving it. He is riding up the Lynn Canal aboard an Alaskan ferry and he is recalling the events of 20-years ago, which led up to his final dealings with a witches convent and being knifed in the back by a young assassin on Halloween night. The book tells of my actual dealings with this dark crowd, the murders and ghostly haunts I dealt with, which included an unruly huge stuff brown bear and bartenders frightened out of their minds by the demonic hold on the town. That first summer I found myself under siege by some 250,000 tourists and a department force reduced to only two of us. Jake and his wife have their hands full, but through faith in the Lord, they stand tall and the coven is forced to use a misguided teenager for an act of murder. Story also involve my actual investigation of a National Park graveyard, which is used by the coven for their rituals. Wounded by the attack, Jake is airlifted to Juneau and then on to Seattle. After a lengthy span of recovery, Jake enters Bible College and years later he returns to Skagway as the new church pastor and he is ready for war against the demonic.
Reliving those days reminded me of the strange times Mona and I had in dealing with this dark crowd of demon worshipers. A group that was found back in the late 1890's and attempted to keep their identities secret. They really got upset when I, with my wife's help, took them on. Sadly, our church was not up to warfare and even used our new Christian coffee shop as a haunted house one Halloween night. It was truly a dark community and when I've tried to relate to people about the events of those 2 years, they often look at me as if I was nuts. I have always found it ironic, how people will believe in angels, but have no grasp of the demonic. Yet, we are warned of this in the Word of God, in how our battle is against the demonic forces.
Someday, I hope this story will be printed in a book and it finds its way to Skagway. I have truly seen what spiritual warfare is all about, though I was much like a waterboy in the big game. I found out how strong simply using the name of our Lord can force the enemy to flee. I also like the name of Jake and hopefully, the reader can relate to him, his wife and the dark ones in the ways I describe them.
May the Lord Jesus Christ bless you and yours.
Anyway, about writing- I find that writing my stories are like a daily dose of repeated paper cuts in an attempt to find just the right word or sentence to describe what I want to say. On the plus side though, is the sudden elation of finding that invaluable word or a sentence, or paragraph, which can give me a lead into the persona of a new character or present the reader with a grasp of what a heavenly golden highway might look like. ( I fought with this while trying to describe how the Heavenly Host descends upon the earth in the Lamb of God's Return).
Now, like most writers I mimic my favorite authors: W.E.B. Griffen, Clive Cussler, Edgar Rice Burroughs and Louie L'amour. With a dash of Tom Clancy and Steven Coonts. I write in a dialogue style; this is where the characters talk to one another to tell the story and the narrator sets the scenes. In a narrative style the narrator does just about everything, with the occasional dialogue tossed in. I also have to create my characters and bring them to life so that you can relate to them, as I do. Sometimes this can be difficult. I may see them perfectly, but I must present them in a way that you can almost read my mind and see them as I do. I've read so many books where the author fails to do this and the characters die quickly in my mind as I end up having to figure out who or how this person is in appearence and it may not go with the tale the writer had planned.
In nearly every writer's magazine I am told a writer should write what he knows about. In "A Badge and the Cross- Book One of the series of 5 stories, entitled- Stronghold", I use my actual police cases and experiences from when I was a member of the Skagway Police Department. Mona and I lived here for over 2 years and I admit, this was my first experience into spiritual warfare. I had only been a Christian for a very little time and was nearly overwhelmed by...you can call it the Dark Side.
This story had 15 chapters and was 445 pages of a double-spaced format. I kept it short because I had hoped, if bought up by a publisher, I could provide further stories based on my career and Christian walk. I created imaginary characters, added to our real life experiences with some interesting fiction themes.
Based in Skagway, I tell of the towns early roots in a lust for gold, prostitution, murder and violence, thievery and all too many cases of sheer madness. Jake Roberts is returning to Skagway, some 20-years after leaving it. He is riding up the Lynn Canal aboard an Alaskan ferry and he is recalling the events of 20-years ago, which led up to his final dealings with a witches convent and being knifed in the back by a young assassin on Halloween night. The book tells of my actual dealings with this dark crowd, the murders and ghostly haunts I dealt with, which included an unruly huge stuff brown bear and bartenders frightened out of their minds by the demonic hold on the town. That first summer I found myself under siege by some 250,000 tourists and a department force reduced to only two of us. Jake and his wife have their hands full, but through faith in the Lord, they stand tall and the coven is forced to use a misguided teenager for an act of murder. Story also involve my actual investigation of a National Park graveyard, which is used by the coven for their rituals. Wounded by the attack, Jake is airlifted to Juneau and then on to Seattle. After a lengthy span of recovery, Jake enters Bible College and years later he returns to Skagway as the new church pastor and he is ready for war against the demonic.
Reliving those days reminded me of the strange times Mona and I had in dealing with this dark crowd of demon worshipers. A group that was found back in the late 1890's and attempted to keep their identities secret. They really got upset when I, with my wife's help, took them on. Sadly, our church was not up to warfare and even used our new Christian coffee shop as a haunted house one Halloween night. It was truly a dark community and when I've tried to relate to people about the events of those 2 years, they often look at me as if I was nuts. I have always found it ironic, how people will believe in angels, but have no grasp of the demonic. Yet, we are warned of this in the Word of God, in how our battle is against the demonic forces.
Someday, I hope this story will be printed in a book and it finds its way to Skagway. I have truly seen what spiritual warfare is all about, though I was much like a waterboy in the big game. I found out how strong simply using the name of our Lord can force the enemy to flee. I also like the name of Jake and hopefully, the reader can relate to him, his wife and the dark ones in the ways I describe them.
May the Lord Jesus Christ bless you and yours.
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