April 12, 2025
I’m a retired pastor in my 77th year. My wife, Kathy and I live on the family’s remote ranch in Southern Oregon. I retired at 61 due to a developing medical disability. I love creating and pursuing a quiet life.
After retiring, I heard about self-publishing and print on demand. The opportunity intrigued me. In 2013, at 65, I finished a non-fiction book on Biblical prophecy, Peace and Hope is Coming. Writing, formatting and self-publishing a book from a remote ranch via satellite was a challenge. I am pleased, though, with the finished product.
After the challenge of Peace and Hope, I didn’t have any immediate plans for further books. When younger, if asked if I thought I would ever write a book? My answer was, “Maybe non-fiction. But not fiction, there are lots of fiction writers.”
Now, I have always enjoyed reading fiction. Two seemingly dissimilar writers are among my favorites. Ian Fleming was the first series author I read as a teenager. In college, I discovered C.S. Lewis’ space trilogy. Both authors write in concise sentences without a lot of extra detailed information. I like that. I liked the way that C.S. Lewis used story to present great truth. In 2019, I began thinking I’d like to try doing what Lewis did so well.
I decided to use the protagonist, Jeremiah Jackson, from an unpublished adventure story that I wrote in 1980. After a number of rejection slips, Jeremiah took up residence in the back of the file cabinet. Through the decades, I would invite him out for brief visits. But nothing ever came of those visits.
With the decision to try my hand at creative writing, it was time to revisit Jeremiah, but not the Jeremiah of 1980. I was curious to see what my old friend’s life looked like as he approached 60, in the near future. Jeremiah was freed from the file cabinet. The new story, Understanding, one man’s journey, was born.
Understanding is the middle book of a planned trilogy—the revised 1980 story is the prequel. A sequel is in process. The prequel, Morningstar Deception, is my 2025 Page Turner Awards submission.
Morningstar is the dream discovery of a lifetime for two investigative reporters. There is one slight problem. They have to survive being targeted by the CIA. To do that, they must overcome the hurt of their broken engagement and work together.
The two race halfway around the world seeking answers to why the CIA is after them. The search leads to the discovery that could change the world—only to discover that’s not the big story.
