Welcome to my blog.

I love stories, and am also fascinated by the issues underlying them. What are we really writing or reading about? When a story is done well, the underlying theme is implicit, yet it touches us, moves us to weep, uplifts us, challenges our thought patterns.

Ursala LeGuin is a master of this art. I have delighted in her novels since I first read The Wizard of Earthsea decades ago. When I began to write my first novel, she was my inspiration.

In the Wizard of Earthsea, the young hero, driven by pride, unleashes an evil into his world. He pursues it throughout the islands of Earthsea, seeking to learn its name and so master it, and finally succeeds only when he calls it by his own name. The essence of projection is stunningly expressed, with never a didactic word.

My own novels have been inspired by my personal struggles.Yet not mine alone. The deepest struggles of humankind are universal. We all seek to find ourselves and our purpose in life, to succeed in our endeavors, to love and be loved. We must all deal at one time or another with disappointment, failure, the heartbreak of love lost. We must all face death. When I give my personal struggle to my protagonist to solve, it becomes greater than just my struggle. Often my protagonist figures it out better than I do. So I am healed. Such is the power of story. And the joy of writing.

In the blog posts to come, I will be exploring the underlying issues of my own novels and novels that have touched me deeply.

I welcome your comments. Let’s have a conversation