Writing for the Love

Space Stations, Moon Colonies, A Space Bridge, & A Lone Survivor Valla Hale is trapped aboard Earth S-1 Station where an unexplained mass casualty event has left her devastated and alone. But everything is on lock-down and she's running out of time to escape. LISTEN NOW Click HERE for the Free Podcast Episode Fullcast Production = voice actors, sound effects, & music ME: Mind Blown! via GIPHY Winner of the Journey Into Writing Contest About two and a half years ago, I wrote a speculative fiction story for a podcast contest. The contest rules were simple: the title must include "Journey Into," the genre should be spec fic (science fiction, fantasy, and/or horror), and there had to be a journey of some kind within the story. For the contest, I wanted to write a science fiction story involving isolation either on or near the moon. I brainstormed ways to incorporate a moon colony. Eventually, I decided to set the story on a space s...

Listen to " A Dream Within A Dream ," my first audio production which is featured on the Journey Into... podcast. I narrated the story and freesound.org provided the sound effects, including the music. It's free to listen to the short story on your computer, smartphone, tablet, or any device that links to the web. More detailed instructions at the end of this post. PODCASTING: HOW I ENDED UP PRODUCING A STORY I've been a fan of the Journey Into... podcast for several years now. The host, Marshal Latham, presents narrated fiction stories, sometimes full cast readings, along with Old Time Radio Shows (think Orson Welles, classic Hitchcock adaptations, The Shadow, The Lone Ranger, X-Minus One science fiction, etc). A couple of years ago, Marshal hosted an Edgar Allan Poe writing contest. Stories had to be titled after a work of Poe's, but the rest was up to the author. I wrote "A Dream Within A Dream," but my submission got lost in cyber space. ...

"Ligeia," a science fiction short story, appeared on the Journey Into... podcast today. Click the image above or click  H ERE  to listen (it's free). Or see my handy dandy instructions below for listening on iTunes. Subscribe to the podcast while you're there (also free) if you love stories of mystery, fantasy, science, old time radio, adventure, horror, and the unknown. I really liked the brief description of my story on the website: Kraykor is driven to the edge of space, and the only way to escape death is by entering into Ligeia. The host of the show, Marshal Latham, ran a contest last year called the Edgar Allan Poe Writing Contest. My story was selected as one of the winners. The story had to be titled after any EAP work (short story or poem). Otherwise, the only requirement was a Poe "vibe." I'm thrilled with the final product. Marshal even asked me to read lines and included my reading in the story. I'm the voice of Mirka, the wi...

Last week during Life Group (read Bible Study), we were in 1 Peter talking about pride and humbling oneself. I had a post earlier this year about humility. The Lord continues to reaffirm that message to me: humble yourself, because the alternative is to be humbled (read humiliated). In our group, we talked about athletes who made a touchdown, a basket, or a home run and immediately lifted a finger to heaven or audibly praised God. That takes humility. It's saying, I made the touchdown, but God made me. He's the reason I'm blessed. Not everybody likes to see that, adding to the humbling experience beyond simply redirecting praise. In writing, there's not a standard "score" to keep. Each individual has different goals and measures their successes differently. When I'm humbled, I measure each forward step as a success, and I credit Christ first. But I'm not always humbled. It's something I still have to work on every day. I have two upcoming p...