Category Archives: News

London!

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Y’all? I’m going to London! I have dreamed of going there ever since I was a little kid reading stories from C.S. Lewis all the way to a couple years ago when I read all of the Sherlock Holmes stories. And nothing has changed. So, after seeing my 17 year old niece’s dream come true of visiting New Zealand, I’m heading for London!

London

I need to save some bucks, but I have the miles to get the airline ticket and a couple of friends willing to come along. Making this decision has been really cool. I thought I might put it off, but it’s been years since I had a full vacation and having planned the trip to Disneyland with my niece and nephew last year helped me realize that pretty much anything is possible with planning and saving.

I remember when I went to Portugal with my Dad and Stepmom in 2008, we landed in Heathrow to transfer flights. As we were beginning to land, I got my first glimpse of Great Britain and I started to cry. I was so happy. I knew that, even though this was just an airport stop, I would be back one day. So next year at this time, I will be! Anyone been there? Got any “must sees?”

Oh, and that’s no dis on Portugal. I’d go back to Portugal in a heartbeat. What a gorgeous place! Just image google Evora and  you’ll see what I mean.

Blue Like Jazz — a movie review

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Many of my friends know how much I love the book, “Blue Like Jazz” (thank you, Bluestockings book club!). Don Miller really spoke confirmation and peace to my heart through that book as I began questioning my faith. And many of my friends know that I backed the movie on Kickstarter along with a couple thousand other folks to see that it got made. And many of my friends know that I flew down to Portland (in a 9-seater prop plane, thank you very much) to be at the premiere of the movie.

I wasn’t disappointed.

Director Steve Taylor and his wily band of civilly disobedient, Christ-follwing filmmakers have punted out a really great story by which any seeker of faith or truth or simple justice can be encouraged by. I love the way these men and women were not afraid to break the tired old mold of “Christian” films and just put out a solid story of life, religion broken and faith found. The people you love to hate are here, but in the end…none of them are hateable. Because we are all both broken and beautiful, petty and noble, desperate for love and abounding in generosity. That’s the story I love in “Blue Like Jazz.”

**SPOILER ALERT** You’ve been warned!

Almost my favorite moment in the film is when a pastor and his (maybe six-year-old) daughter come to their church on Sunday morning to see a giant smiley-face condom draped over the steeple, put there by drunken Reed college students the night before. A sign over the church entry reads “Don’t Let These People Reproduce.” His daughter asks him what the thing on the steeple is and he replies with a calm bemusement, “It’s…a balloon. A happy baloon.” His daughter then reads the sign out loud, carefully sounding out the word “reproduce.” He pats her shoulder and tells her how good she did.

We only saw this pastor about three times in the movie, but his impact on me was wonderful. There were some awful Christians in the movie. But this guy’s minor role was touching. He simply bore the hate of the world and showed kindness and gentleness to those who had intended to hurt him. He was walking the walk. Just beautiful.

So, in case you hadn’t noticed, I want you to go see this movie! Sprinkle with some popcorn, add a loved one and enjoy!

Me, and my Steve-Taylor-Uber-Fan friends, Jeff Blackburn and Ragan Crowe at the Portland, OR, premiere of “Blue Like Jazz.”

“Fallen Away” is complete

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On March 13, 2005, Hazel Gibbs opened her door to a desperate-looking Tom O’Bryan. Six years (300 cycles) later, I posted the last two chapters and the epilogue. Six years exactly! How did that happen? There was a time I forgot about the story and thought I’d never finish it. Life was just too busy. But the rumor of the sequel to Tron and the encouragement from reviewers got me going again. What a great feeling it is to finish a long story like that. And what an amazing character arc developed for Hazel. I didn’t even know she was on the path she was on until I had traveled it with her for a while. Being such a long-time Tron fan, it was wonderful to play in that sandbox, develop new characters and grow the old ones. I mean, how can you not love writing dialogue for Tron and Flynn? I began this with thanks to Steve and Bonnie and I thank them again. Without them, I wouldn’t have Hazel, or Wulf, or Tracer. And I love those characters.

A HUGE thank you to all my reviewers, especially Swashbucklist, Silver Shadow Spark, Shan DaMan, Jyn-the-Racoon, Mel, EricSB and so many others who have (probably unknowingly) kept me motivated and encouraged to continue when life got busy and getting up in the morning before work to write just wasn’t that appealing. It was also lovely to hear from new Tron fans who had only seen “Tron: Legacy” but were still jumping right in with “Fallen Away.” Biodigital jazz, man. Thank you to all of you.

Spark asked if there was going to be a sequel to “Fallen Away.” At this time, I’m not planning one, but you never know if it will strike my fancy in the future. Personally, I think Hazel could use a break for a while, don’t you?

I want to welcome all my readers to this site. When I finish the theatre commitments I’m working on currently, I will be publishing new, original fiction here. So bookmark me, or subscribe to the RSS, and check in once in a while. You may find some more good stuff to read!

What’s “The Daughter of the Agekeeper” about?

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My dear Lorelei deckmate, Klaus, has asked for info on what “The Daughter of the Agekeeper” is about. So here you go!

Radie Conlan is a 12-year-old girl who has the infrequent but disturbing experience of being in two places at one time. Her mother used to talk her through these moments, but she passed away many years ago and now Radie is left to deal with them on her own. She discovers that she is connected to another planet, for what reason she knows not, and if during one of her moments of existing in both places she focuses on the other planet, she will be there. With no way to get back to Earth.

Radie and her dad are very close, but he wants nothing to do with these “visions” as he calls them. One day, the inevitable happens and Radie finds herself on the planet Udana attempting to rescue a girl not much older than herself who has ivy vines for hair and green skin. Radie must figure out why she is there before a way can open up to allow her to return home.

The Radie Conlan website will be up soon! Hope you enjoy the story.

“Daughter of the Agekeeper” is coming soon!

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My Tron fanfiction, “Fallen Away,” is almost complete. Once that is done, I will be putting up for online enjoyment my novel, “Daughter of the Agekeeper,” also known as “Simultane 06-Initial of Archival Record 4-G-RHM-06x.” Wow. That’s a lot of letters and numbers! Keep watching–Chapter 1 will be up for reading soon.