What I'm Writing
Here's where I talk about my ongoing projects.
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Atomic Habits Revisited: A Two-Year Late Update on My 2021 Goals
I’ve re-embraced the promise of Atomic Habits since my first read-through–that by changing and directing my habits in their minutiae, by changing my systems, I’ll get where I want to go, and continue becoming who I want to be.
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In Which I Explain to My Goddaughter (and Myself) What It Means to Have (and Be) a Godmother
When close friends asked my partner and I to be godparents to their daughter, the four of us got to decide what the relationship would mean to us.
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[My Upanishad] Something I Wrote in a Class I Almost Didn’t Take Because It Was Called Lit of the Sacred
Years ago I signed up for a class at Utah Valley University called “Literature of the Sacred,” specifically because my first instinct was to dismiss it. I reconsidered. This wasn’t BYU, after all, and the course description didn’t read like Seminary or Institute (the school-adjacent religious courses I attended as a high school student and during my first semester as an undergrad back in the early 00s). Maybe this class would help cleanse the bitterness mormonism had left on my tongue for words like “sacred,” “faith,” and “prayer.” Maybe it would be a good companion course to the work I was doing in therapy. I thought of all my classes…
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A Eulogy for My Grandpa
This is a version of the eulogy I wrote for my mom's dad this past year. I read this to my relatives during his graveside service. It includes excerpts from journals he wrote during the LDS mission he served in 1951, which is where he met my grandma. I didn't read this exact version at his graveside though. The eulogy I actually read was edited to remove superfluous details about my personal life and experiences. Those I'll share here, on my personal blog.
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Resurrecting “Hall of Broken Mirrors”: My Vampire Story That Refuses to Die
What has captivated me about vampirism and what it implies (to me): invulnerability, complex solitude, the association with “otherness,” immortality, perfectly intact memory, beauty and the unending quest for satiation. Why does (or doesn’t) vampire mythology interest you?
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‘Setbacks’ for Evelyn McHale
I wrote this for one of my favorite classes, Wild & Angry Lit taught by Rob Carney. CW: suicide, depictions of death. Design by Melissa Parra
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Rochester (Jane Eyre Fanfic)
At the behest of my Janet, who is indeed the only creature—dear witch that she is—with the power to bend me to her will (under which gentle pressure I do happily quiesce) I have submitted to the task of committing something of my history to paper. She has documented her own histories at my request, and so now, to hers, I must comply. Previous to reading this drivel, I trust the reader has availed himself—or herself (my wife corrects me)—of the story of Jane Eyre; or if he has not, I advise that he do so now, without an instant’s delay, for a man is not wholly a man—a human…
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Finding the Right Ending for The Music of Pedro (or Why it Took Five Months and a Quarantine to Finish This Blog Post)
From beginning to end, The Music of Pedro was a family endeavor and I wanted everything about the launch fiesta to emphasize communion and community, passion and creation—all things I believe define “family” and ought to direct us as we build and protect our individual, local, and global families.
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The People Behind the Characters of The Music of Pedro
Read about the real people who inspired characters in the book.
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Winter is Coming, and So’s Your Chance to Pre-Order the Book: Music of Pedro Kickstarter Campaign
I’m not going to lie; it would be devastating if we didn’t meet our goal, because even the cost of printing enough paperbacks in time for the launch party is a bit prohibitive, but not without help! We’re looking to have at least 100 copies available at the event and to do that we’ll need between 60 and 80 backers pledging $20 to $40 to our campaign. If that seems pricey, don’t worry, we’ll make it worth your while!
