September 6th, 2022 Starting today, I’m going to be taking the rest of the month off from posting essays. I feel like you and I could use a break from each other, in a good way. I hope you’ll catch up on posts, if that’s your thing, or pick up some of my work andContinue reading “The Kind Monster”
Tag Archives: Minnesota
For You or Not For You
September 5th, 2022 When I saw the State Fair water tower on the horizon this year, the nostalgia hit me harder than normal. Instead of a general flavor, nostalgia tends to get colored by people whose loss feels recent, like yesterday, even though they’ve been gone, say, nearly two years. It got me thinking aboutContinue reading “For You or Not For You”
Stupid Questions
September 2nd, 2022 “So I was looking at the long term / Three quarters and I quit school / Now I break hearts as a learning tool.” – The Next Step, “Honesty & Happiness” As that lyric accurately describes, I did not go to college for long. Even calling it “college” doesn’t feel right. ButContinue reading “Stupid Questions”
I Am Not An Illusion
August 24th, 2022 Mystery is an amateur magic show. I get frequently asked why I tell people stuff on the internet. Like, the stuff you shouldn’t really tell people, the stuff people don’t talk about like I think they should, the stuff that is heavy or hard. I do it because I feel like weContinue reading “I Am Not An Illusion”
Not Too Little, Never Too Late
August 19th, 2022 When people get comfortable around me and my sobriety, they start to ask more complicated questions about it. The one they inevitably get to is: “Do you miss anything about drinking?” I do. Of course I do. Too much for a single post. But I want to talk about something that mightContinue reading “Not Too Little, Never Too Late”
Accessible Excellence
August 18th, 2022 The most common thing said about my books comes across as backhanded, but I’ve come to realize it aligns with what I want to do as a writer so completely. The song goes: “I am not a big reader, but I really liked your book.” Usually followed by the encore of: “IContinue reading “Accessible Excellence”
Cold World Trailer
August 15th, 2022 It has not been a cold summer, but for my readers, it has been a Cold World summer. Some of the best reviews of my writing career have made their way to me from people who have discovered the secrets of this story set on Earth in 2222; Cold World is aContinue reading “Cold World Trailer”
silly
August 15th, 2022 “As for its being silly, I don’t mind that. Sometimes it’s great fun to be silly, like children playing statues and dying of laughter. And sometimes being silly breaks the even pace and lets you get a new start.” – The Winter of Our Discontent Being silly is natural to me, butContinue reading “silly”
In Dreams: The Sandman, Flip, and Push
August 8th, 2022 I finished the first season of The Sandman on Netflix this afternoon. As a massive Sandman fan, for years, I personally think it is a better-than-perfect adaptation of the source material. I also want to add how well the series is cast; Tom Sturridge as Dream is the single best casting choiceContinue reading “In Dreams: The Sandman, Flip, and Push”
What’s in a number?
August 2nd, 2022 Today, a friend asked me a great, big question: why? And how? Why am I a writer? How did I know I was a writer? Why and how am I the person that I am? And being put on the spot is wonderful, because you don’t know what you’re going to say,Continue reading “What’s in a number?”
The Den 