Falling Awake (Part 1) Being an Introspective Introvert

For the longest time, I felt I didn’t belong here. I felt out of place in the human world, perhaps, in part, because of my extreme dyslexia, which made me literally see things differently from everyone else… that and my over-abundant imagination—I knew the world was magical, but I was surrounded by people who didn’t believe in magic. Things that were important to me just didn’t seem all that important to other people, which made me a bit of a freak. So as a child, I somehow decided it would be a good idea not to need anyone. I had my stories to keep me engaged, and my characters to keep me company. I poured love into my creations, not into human relationships, and became an introspective introvert, but then a strange thing happened…

Falling Awake (Part 2) The Choice for Love

I have done my share of “sleepwalking,” but something always wakes me t. Often it is a book. Sometimes written by others, and sometimes, it is my own stories that wake me. Putting pen to paper has such organic, ancient ties that it brings me back to myself again and again, and allows me access to my own wisdom. We all have that place in ourselves that knows the answers, that place that is connected to our intuition, to divine mind, to the wisdom of the cosmos, and it is up to us, each individually, to reach inside and listen for that still, small voice. The more we do, the less we sleepwalk.

EGJ on Writing & Being Published

In the movie, “Beautiful Dreamers,” two men, a vicar and a journalist, discuss the danger of Walt Whitman’s visit to a quaint 19th century English village. The Vicar is concerned about the wild influence Whitman will have on the people of his small pious town, while the journalist chooses to underestimate the famous writer’s influence,…

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Some of my Favorite People are Fictitious

It’s true. When I read a great book, I fall in love with its characters and dearly miss them when the book is done. I know you get this. It happens to anyone who loves to read. So you have an inkling of what I mean when I tell you it is the same for…

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Our Search for the Other Half

What an amazing time we live in. When technology can connect us to anyone in the world, and we can strike up a friendship with someone who lives thousands of miles away, yet so many of us find it difficult to meet someone with whom we can simply be happy.

My Valentines Day thoughts…

On Valentines Day, the people who stand out are those who aren’t celebrating love…

The Circle of Light

At midnight on Christmas Eve, the family gathers in a circle, sitting cross-legged on the floor, each with an unlit candle. The room is dim, lit only by the warm glow of the tree lights. There are no presents under the tree, just four festively embellished boxes with slits at the top just large enough for folded pieces of paper to enter.

The Long Here and Now

A man stood barefoot on the sand, held a shell to his ear, heard the call of his lady the sea, and in his heart he knew he could not ignore her for in her siren song was the promise of longing and adventure

Life Lessons From Unlikely​ Places ~ Hobbit Logic ~ Simple and True

We are all on a journey in this world… a journey through life. We all have dreams and goals, hopes and fears, of where that journey might lead us. We are, in this way, bound together by the road that stretches out before us, and the fires that burn bright within us. And even with our vast cultural and personal differences, we all belong to the same family; the family of humanity. Within the Tolkien paradigm, there are secret clues woven into the fabric of each story, keys; if you will, to help us succeed in life no matter where it is that we are headed.

➸ How to be The Hero of Your Own Story – Part One (1 of 3)

Want to know the best advice I’ve ever received as a writer AND as a human being?

Here it is:

Be the hero of your own story.

This advice set me on a new life path and everything changed!

For me, being the hero of my own story means living my life by all the same principles and doctrines I hold my protagonists to…

➸ How to be the Hero of Your Own Story – Part Two (2 of 3)

Your life is your story. Your choices are your path. Don’t let someone else choose for you.

As a writer and a student of human nature, I have the on-going pleasure of studying the many different aspects of life, our world, and its varied characters. One of the most fascinating of these is our culture’s archetypes, and heroes are arguably among of the most enduring and endearing of the archetypal class. Heroes in their myriad forms have been requisite to story, myth, and legend throughout the history of humankind. What follows is Part Two of my hero traits list… a collection of high caliber qualities and attributes I believe we can all aspire to…

➸ How to be the Hero of Your Own Story – Part 3 (3 of 3)

You’d be surprised how much these guys can teach you, not only because they are your textbook hero types, but because of the standards they hold themselves to in everyday life and the myriad situations that put those ideals to the test. Some of the BEST heroes to learn from are exploring the galaxy!