Posted on

One Way I Have Fought Anxiety

For years, I’ve wrestled with anxiety, a battle that often seemed endless and overwhelming. But in this fight, I’ve come to realize that one of the most potent weapons against the negative thoughts triggering my anxiety is my own mind.

I’m not talking about the “power of positive thinking,” some self-help mantra that can feel empty and cultish. No, I’m referring to a profound truth found in Proverbs 23:7, “As he thinketh in his heart, so he is.”

Our minds dictate our actions. Our thoughts form our reality. If we continually dwell on fear and worry, those feelings can consume us. But when we take control of our thoughts and align them with wisdom and understanding found in scripture, constantly diving deep in the word, continually repenting and growing in our relationship with Christ, we can reshape our perspective and our actions.

This insight has helped me take charge of my anxiety. It’s not a quick fix. You may find medication is needed for you, and that’s okay. Because the struggles don’t vanish overnight. However, it’s a real, grounded way to approach life.

We have the power to choose our thoughts, and in turn, those thoughts shape who we are. Understanding this has been a crucial step in my journey. But those thoughts have been shaped by diving into scripture.

Posted on

Thanks Everyone for the Birthday Wishes

Hey everyone, thanks for the birthday wishes! So, I’ve hit 46, and guess what? It doesn’t feel much different than 45, 43, or even 38. Time keeps moving, but it seems I’m stuck in a time loop of feeling perpetually young (or at least that’s what I’m telling myself). Here’s to another year of defying age and enjoying life.

Posted on

My 15th Reading of Fahrenheit 451

The first dystopian novel I remember ever reading was at the age of 13 when on a snow day, I pulled a copy of Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 off my father’s shelf. I’ll be honest, I didn’t quite understand it, but the story hooked me—the idea of a world where people burned books instead of reading them? I had never heard of such a thing.


For several years, I’ve made it a yearly tradition this weekend to take a day off to put the phone and world aside and reread it. 

Today I finished my 15th reread, and It’s still just as good as it was the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th time. 

Ray Bradbury was a master of imagination and creativity. He was known for crafting unique worlds and weaving complex ideas such as censorship and human nature into engaging stories with his inventive prowess.

Every speculative author should read some Ray Bradbury because his innovative approach to storytelling blends the fantastical and the mundane, offering a unique lens on society that challenges conventional thinking and inspires creativity in character development, theme exploration, and world-building.

If you haven’t read any Bradbury- Go correct that problem now! 

Posted on

Welcome to the Whimsical Rim Universe: It’s Where My Stories Hang Out

I want to introduce you to the Whimsical Rim Universe. Think of it as the cool neighborhood where all my books live, from the novellas My Friend Louie, Compulsion, and The Chamber all the way to the Iggy & Oz stories.

Here’s the deal: my books have these little connections, like Easter eggs hidden in plain sight. For example- The pastor from Compulsion? He pops up in My Friend Louie.

Louie the baseball bat? You’ll find it sneaking around in almost every Iggy & Oz book, and even in The Whimsical Rim: Mr Chesterson Origin Story.

The Chamber, with its wild A.I. uprising theme, has this cool VR room that throws back to scenes from Compulsion and My Friend Louie.

It’s like a reunion party with characters you know and love.

And hey, don’t miss my new novel next year, “Mr Hinkle Cul-De-Sac” (My Evil Mr Rogers story) It’s happening in Whispering Pines, the same ‘hood where Iggy & Oz get up to their tricks.

So yeah, the Whimsical Rim Universe is the place where my stories meet up, hang out, and sometimes even crash each other’s parties.

Below is a timeline of the story. This is the order in which things fall, but with the exception of the Iggy & Oz novels they can be read in any order. Some of these haven’t released yet so I have placed release dates next to them. If they are bold they are available now. *Note: The Chaos Files all release Nov 2023.

And to keep things clear- Here is how each type of story is keyed

SS = Short Story

N = Novell

FL= Flash Fic Story

MGN = Middle Grade Novel

THE LIST

The Whimsical Rim: A Mr Chesterson Origin Story- Nov 2023 SS

Mr Chesterson’s Secret Journal- Nov 2023 SS

Compulsion- N

My Friend Louie- N

The Plastic Dinos of Doom- Iggy & Oz # 1 MGN

The Soda Pop Wars- Iggy & Oz # 2 MGN

The Green Dragon Pepper (Iggy & Oz Chaos Files) FL (Featured story in GoHavok Prismatic)

Whiskers Revenge (Iggy & Oz Chaos Files) FL

The Galactic French Fry (Iggy & Oz Chaos Files) FL

The Snot Rocket (Iggy & Oz Chaos Files) FL

The Living Snot- Iggy & Oz # 3 MGN

The great bubble gum catastrophe (Iggy & Oz Chaos Files) FL

The living whopping cushion (Iggy & Oz Chaos Files) FL

The skunk scented sneakers (Iggy & Oz Chaos Files) FL

The stinky cheese catastrophe (Iggy & Oz Chaos Files) FL

Oz’s Secret Journal – Nov 2023 SS

The Scotland Dragon (Iggy & Oz Chaos Files) FL

The Great Ice Cream Truck Heist- Iggy & Oz # 4 Nov 2023 MGN

The Hairless Sasquatch- Iggy & Oz # 5 Summer 2024 MGN

Iggy’s Secret Journal- Nov 2023 SS

Mr Hinkle’s Cul-De-Sac- Fall 2024 MGN

Interstice Undone- Spring 2024 N

Strawberry Wind Strikes again (Iggy & Oz Chaos Files) FL

The Ultimate Prank Potion (Iggy & Oz Chaos Files) FL

The Exploding Lunchbox (Iggy & Oz Chaos Files) FL

The Mystery of Mr Chesterson-Iggy & Oz # 6- Winter 2024 MGN

The Chamber- N