When I first began writing professionally in the spring and summer of 2020, it was the middle of the pandemic and I had lost my job at the American Museum of Natural History. I believed there was slim chance that I would ever have the opportunity to work in the museum field again, so I fell back on freelance writing as a new career option.

I wrote and wrote, researching and crafting articles about faith and pop-culture, often unpaid. Eventually, I started to receive some modest compensation for my work. Not nearly enough to support myself. I tried to write a novel. Several times. The stories went nowhere, petering out into confusion after a few chapters. Dead ends.

After a couple years of this, I began to feel utterly demoralized. My goal of forging a new career as a successful full-time writer seemed unattainable. I felt like a failure.

Then my mom encouraged me to think outside the box and write a children’s book. I scoffed. A children’s book? Why? I’d never written for kids before. But moms have those special insights sometimes. I stopped resisting and began to take her suggestion seriously.

She even pitched a topic to me. “You should write about Blessed Nicolas Steno,” she said. “You’ve had a devotion to him for a long time. I think Steno’s life-story could inspire kids to take an interest in God’s creation and follow in his footsteps as scientists.”

Deep down, I knew she was right. So I put my misgivings aside and wrote. I finished The Riddle of the Tongue-Stones in late 2022 and began pitching it to Catholic publishers soon after. Before too long I had a book deal from Word on Fire Publishing’s children’s imprint, Votive. I’ll always remember the date I got the news: May 1, 2023. It was the feast day of St. Joseph the Worker.

Less than two years later, after many rounds of revisions, intense copy-edits, and long stretches of waiting, The Riddle of the Tongue-Stones was published. It was February 3, 2025, a week before my birthday.

It’s been almost a year and a half since then and I’ve been stunned at the success of my little book. (In case you’re wondering, I dedicated it to my mom. After all, it wouldn’t exist without her.) The Riddle of the Tongue-Stones has sold over 5,000 copies so far! I routinely receive messages from parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and godparents who tell me that the book is making a big impression on young minds. I can’t properly express how deeply grateful I am.

Recently it was announced that The Riddle of the Tongue-Stones was awarded first-place in the Association of Catholic Publishers’ 2026 Excellence in Publishing Awards, “Children’s Books - Young Readers” category.

I knew my book had been nominated alongside some truly excellent titles. Taking first place was a complete surprise to me! Of course, the first person I called was my mom. This was her victory too.

In light of all this, I’ve been discerning what “success” as a writer means to me now. In some ways, I’ve already achieved more success than I ever dreamed possible. I am an award-winning author! And, thanks to God’s providential care, I now work in museums again too. I’m a part-time history educator at Raynham Hall, a Revolutionary War site in my hometown. I love my job! My colleagues are supportive of my ambitions to build a career in public history. This dovetails nicely with what I’ve accomplished so far as an author. My book, after all, is a biography written for young readers.

I no longer feel pressured to become a full-time writer. I’m at peace with the decision I’ve made to pursue education and public history as my callings. My goal is to eventually become a full-time educator at a museum or historic site. In the meantime, I want to continue writing nonfiction books for kids. I may never hit the best-seller lists or become “famous” (whatever that means…) and I don’t consider those things to be guide markers for success. What I’ve already accomplished feels like success to me. I wrote a book, an award-winning book. That’s worth celebrating.

At the beginning of my writing journey, my barometer of success was very different. I thought that I needed to support myself entirely as a full-time freelance writer or as a successful novelist. I slaved away for a long time at various epic fantasy novels that didn’t go anywhere. The pressure I put on myself was too much for me to bear.

Today, I feel much more at peace with myself. I will still write fiction in my spare time, but I don’t feel obligated to publish any of it. Perhaps here on Substack I’ll create a separate space for my stories. Last year, I discovered a knack for writing sci-fi military thrillers and sci-fi/horror. I wrote a 26,000-word novella called Field Station Delta and I had a blast doing it.

The funny thing is, I wouldn’t have even considered those sub-genres of sci-fi to be in my wheelhouse a year and a half ago. But when I think back to what I read and watched most avidly as a young person, it actually makes a lot of sense. And given my lifelong passion for military history and war stories, military SF seems like a natural fit.

But whether any of my sf novels are ever finished or published traditionally doesn’t matter too much to me anymore. “Best-selling novelist” is no longer part of the picture in my personal definition of success.

I’ll continue to read, to write, to learn, to teach, and to walk the path that God has laid in front of me. In less than two weeks, I’ll be attending a weekend retreat for Catholic artists and writers where I hope to make even more progress in discernment. Please say a prayer for me and for the other retreatants.

Until my next post, God bless and happy reading!

Greetings, friends. May has been a busier month than I anticipated. There’s a lot to cover, but I’ll try to be brief. Let’s get started!

In case you missed it, I finally unveiled the cover for my paranormal sci-fi novella, Field Station Delta. I plan to finish proofreading the text over the next few weeks. If all goes according to plan, the book should be available on Kindle sometime this summer!

Thanks to everyone who read the early chapter drafts that I serialized last year!

LegendHaven, Spring 2026

I’ve been attending the LegendHaven online conventions since they began back in 2022.

For this year’s Spring convention, I recorded two interviews with founder , including the one below:

In “Forgotten Saints and Hidden History” Dominic and I discuss my debut children’s nonfiction book The Riddle of the Tongue-Stones.

On the second day of the weekend conference, I had the opportunity to do a live read-aloud of one of my chapters in the new book Batman & Faith from Voyage Comics & Publishing. If you’re a fan of the Caped Crusader, you’re going to love this new essay collection.

Podcasts

I’m back in the swing of things recording podcasts with my friends at StarQuest (SQPN). It’s such a fun hobby, though I had to take a break from it earlier in the year to attend to a family emergency. It feels so good to be back!

The Secrets of Middle-earth

Every creature in Arda has a story. The panel and I examine Middle-earth's animals—Huan, the Great Eagles, Ungoliant's brood, Beorn the Skinchanger, the Nazgûl's horses, even the mysterious fox from The Fellowship of the Ring. And perhaps the most important question of all: what separates the natural from the supernatural in Tolkien's world?

The Secrets of Star Wars

Darkness closes in on Devon Izara as Maul’s tea ceremony becomes a calculated trap. I join and the rest of the panel to unpack the hidden layers of Chapter 3 of Maul: Shadow Lord.

Power means nothing if you won’t use it—that’s Maul’s creed. The panel and I break down Chapter 4 of Shadow Lord, where a duel with Devon and Daki becomes a clash of Jedi and Sith worldviews.

An Imperial Star Destroyer parks over police headquarters on Janix, and everything changes. The panel and I break down the tactics of Inquisitor Marrok, Devon Izara’s wavering faith, and Maul’s fracturing crew in Chapter 5 of Maul: Shadow Lord.

A chase across Janix ends on a moving train, where Devon Izara lowers her saber — and Maul walks away. The panel and I cover the action-packed Chapter 6 of Maul: Shadow Lord.

The Secrets of Movies

Super Mario Galaxy was a rollicking good time at the movies! I join the panel to unpack the Bowser family drama, Yoshi’s debut, Rosalina’s backstory, and much more!

That’s all for this month’s Pageturning Report. If you’ve read this far, thank you so much! The support of my readers on Substack and my podcast listeners means the world to me, especially during difficult times. It’s a joy to share my creative endeavors with you!

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Stay tuned for next month’s update and a few super-special bonus posts! In the meantime, God bless and happy reading!

Senior Airman Emily Metzger wants payback.

She’s the lone survivor of an Air Force special operations squad that was attacked by a paranormal entity in the mountainous frontier of Afghanistan. Now she’s been recruited by a mysterious government scientist for an ultra top-secret assignment. But instead of fighting to avenge her fallen comrades, Airman Metzger finds herself posted to a stateside research facility in the remote badlands of Wyoming.

But Field Station Delta hides a deadly secret—a classified experiment that places the unwitting residents of a nearby town in mortal danger. When casualties begin to mount, Metzger must learn to trust her instincts—and tap into her own burgeoning paranormal abilities—to counter ruthless enemies both seen and unseen. Can she unravel the mystery of Field Station Delta before it’s too late?

Field Station Delta is my military sci-fi/horror novella, inspired by ’s gripping paranormal short story “Operation White Phantom”, which can be found in The Third Crown and Other Weird Tales.

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In 2025, I released an earlier draft of Field Station Delta as a serial here on Substack. With the help of freelance editor , I have put the text through further revisions.

My plan is to self-publish this book in print and on Kindle in July 2026. The new and improved edition of the novella will include:

• Completely updated and revised text.

• Special forward by Paul Leone.

• New introduction by me.

• Two exclusive bonus short stories.

  • “Site J-7”

  • “Missing Time”

If you’re a fan of The X-Files or Stargate SG-1, or if you just enjoy good old-fashioned action-adventure stories with mystery and horror elements, I think you’ll love Field Station Delta.

And now, I’d like to reveal the cover for the book, which I designed in Canva. I commissioned the amazing character artwork from the incredibly talented artist Jackson Tjota. I hope you love it!

Leave a comment

This month, my goal is to get the text proofread and formatted. This will be my first time using KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing) and my first experience self-publishing a book. I’ll keep you updated on the process and as soon as the book is available for preorder, you’ll be among the first to know!

Until then, thanks for all of your support. And a big thank-you to everyone who read and commented on the serialized draft of Delta from last year. Your feedback was immensely helpful and your enthusiasm a big encouragement! I hope you enjoy the finalized book!

P.S.

I do have a sequel planned. I have an outline and an early draft of the prologue. After Delta is published, I’ll probably return to working on the sequel, which is tentatively titled… The Nordingham Incident.

Greetings, everyone! After a difficult start to the new year dealing with the fallout from a family health emergency, things have finally settled down at my home into a kind of “new normal.”

Spring has sprung from a long and gloomy winter here on Long Island. The weather is fine, the trees are in bloom, and the American robins have returned.

Things are looking up for me at work as well. I’m so grateful for my job as a history educator at Raynham Hall Museum and for all the lovely people I meet there. I really feel like I’m making a difference in the lives of the visitors and schoolkids who come through our doors to learn about the American Revolution here on LI.

Another exciting professional development update: This month I gave my first university lecture! I’m grateful to my colleague Dr. Justinne Lake-Jedzinak for inviting me to speak about the history of paleoart to her undergraduate students at Hofstra University. It felt satisfying to dip my toes back into academic work. I had a lot of fun and I hope to do more college talks in the future.

My Books

The Riddle of the Tongue-Stones

I am thrilled to announce that my debut book The Riddle of the Tongue-Stones: How Blessed Nicolas Steno Uncovered the Hidden History of the Earth is a finalist in the Association of Catholic Publishers 2026 “Excellence in Publishing Awards” in the “Children’s Books: Young Readers” category!

The first, second, and third place winners will be announced in June. Congratulations to all the finalists!

And don’t forget to pick up your copy of Riddle of the Tongue-Stones directly from Word on Fire with 20% off and free US shipping!

Buy the book!

Batman & Faith

I’m very excited to announce a new book about pop-culture and faith, a collaboration with many talented authors for Voyage Comics & Publishing. Many thanks to editor for inviting me to work on this project.

Batman & Faith: Essays on the Dark Knight and the Soul features four essays by me, three of which are brand new and never before published:

• Batman & Boethius: Philosophy, Faith, and the Meaning of Suffering (NEW!)

• The Serpent & the Clown: The Joker as Trickster, Tempter, and Agent of Chaos (NEW!)

• Fear, Faith, & Forgiveness in “Batman: No Man’s Land” (REVISED & EXPANDED!)

• Faith of Our Fathers: Men Who Shaped Bruce Wayne and Batman (NEW!)

Pick up a copy for your Batcave today!

Pre-order the book!

Pageturning LIVE!

Recently, I started hosting video livestreams here on Substack. I’m calling these Pageturning LIVE! Beginning in May, my plan is to go live at least twice a month: 1.) a kind of video version of the Pageturning Report, and 2.) a freeform conversation with a guest.

I’m very grateful to for being the first to join Pageturning LIVE! We talked about LEGOs, Transformers, parish revival, livng with disability, Blessed Solanus Casey, and so much more. Check it out below!

Podcasts

The Secrets of Middle-earth

The panel and I investigate J.R.R. Tolkien's remarkable short story, Leaf by Niggle, exploring themes of purgatory, sub-creation, and the eternal weight of creative work. This haunting, personal story is one of my favorite Tolkien tales and I’m so glad we finally covered it on the podcast.

The Secrets of Star Wars

Maul’s shadows fall over Devon Izara as her master keeps abandoning her. I join the panel to break down Chapter 2 of Maul: Shadow Lord — the manipulation, the cell break-out, and the question of whether Maul is still really a Sith.

LegendHaven: Spring 2026

The weekend of May 2-3, I’ll be joining my friend for the Spring LegendHaven creators convention! Two days of faith, fun, and fiction. All online. And the “main stage” livestream events are free!

Sign up for LegendHaven

It’s been a privilege and a pleasure to collaborate with Dom at LegendHaven. I’ve been an attendee from the beginning. This time, I’ve got an epic lineup of events on my schedule:

• Forgotten Saints & Hidden History: Why I Write Narrative Nonfiction for Kids & Teens — YouTube Livestream, 11:00 AM, Saturday, May 2

• Batman & Faith: Essays on the Dark Knight and the Soul — YouTube Livestream, 11:45 AM, Sunday, May 3

• The Dark Knight and the Soul: “Batman & Faith” read-aloud/Q&A — Google Meet 3:00 PM, Sunday, May 3

See the full LH schedule

So many talented authors and creators will be at LegendHaven! I hope you’ll join us for this two-day celebration of our favorite stories and fandoms.

That’s it for this month’s Pageturning Report. If you’ve read this far, thank you so much! The support of my readers on Substack and my podcast listeners means the world to me. It’s a joy to share my creative endeavors with you. Please share Pageturning with anyone you think might be interested.

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And please, leave a comment! Are you attending LegendHaven? Have you picked up the new Batman essay collection? Are you watching Maul: Shadow Lord? I’d love to hear from you!

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Stay tuned for next month’s update. Until then, God bless and happy reading!

We powered through the technical issues and ended up with something really special. Looking forward to out next collaboration!

Thank you , , , and many others for tuning into my live video with Join me for my next live video in the app. I hope to go live again very soon because I want to iron out a few of the bugs that I experienced in the recording.

Get more from Thomas Salerno in the Substack app

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I’m so glad that spring is finally here and the winter freeze is over! We had a pretty rough winter here on Long Island, with two major storms and the resulting cleanup that lasted for weeks.

This month’s update will be shorter than usual. By some miracle, I’ve been able to keep my writing alive while holding down a part-time job and helping to care for a chronically sick parent. Honestly, on many days I’ve barely been able to hold myself together. But I can see the grace of God at work through it all.

This past quarter I was a member of ’s 10-week goal setting sprint group. While I only achieved about half of what I set out to do, I still made significant progress on my current nonfiction WIP. (More on that in a future post…)

If you’re a writer looking for motivation, encouragement, and accountability, please join us next quarter! It’s an amazing group.

Story Notes

Writing Goal Sprint Recap 12

Read more

3 months ago · 1 like · 1 comment · Katelin Cummins

Articles

Word on Fire

Madeline Shepley on the Wonders of Faith and Science

My friend Madeline Shepley is a planetarium director, physics and astronomy professor, podcaster, and science fiction writer. Her podcast, Shine Bright Like the Firmament, features wide-ranging conversations with fellow Catholic STEM professionals about all aspects of the intersection of faith and science. The podcast recently celebrated its one hundredth episode, in which Madeline interviewed Daniel Kuebler, author of Darwin and Doctrine.

In our full conversation, Madeline discusses her experiences sharing the wonder of the universe with young minds, her role as a Catholic science communicator, and her love of science fiction.

Madeline Shepley: Honestly, what amazes me is the universality of harmony between science and faith over the wide variety of Catholic STEM workers that I’ve spoken to. I’ve interviewed people across the major STEM disciplines, in various different vocations, over a wide age range, and across different cultures. No matter what, there exist Catholics who know that, when it comes to faith and science, you don’t need to choose one or the other—that you can have both. This gives me such beautiful hope that a Catholic of any background can find someone like them who is faithful and loves science.

Podcasts

The Secrets of Middle-earth

A new Tolkien book arrives: My friend Kaitlyn Facista of Tea With Tolkien explains her new book Into the Heart of Middle-earth—hope, virtue, and fellowship as lived wisdom. She explains how her book is a spiritual companion to The Lord of the Rings.

Mythic Mind

Anyone who knows me well is aware that I’m a HUGE Godzilla fan! In this episode of Mythic Mind Movies & Shows, I join to discuss one of my favorite films of recent years, Godzilla Minus One. Although it takes the guise of a monster movie, this movie is a profound psychological story of a man fighting with shame and searching for a life worth living. Toward the end, we also discuss how this film relates to other movies in the Godzilla canon.

That’s all the updates I have for right now. If you’ve read this far, thank you so much! The support of my readers on Substack and my podcast listeners means the world to me, especially now. If you know anyone who’d be interested in this newsletter, my books, or the podcasts, please share Pageturning with them!

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Again, from the bottom of my heart, thanks for your prayers and encouragement. Stay tuned for next month’s update. Until then, God bless and happy reading!

Greetings, Pageturning family! Just a brief update this month.

It’s time to celebrate an exciting milestone…

The Riddle of the Tongue-Stones turns 1 year old!!!

On February 3rd my debut children’s nonfiction book The Riddle of the Tongue-Stones celebrated its first anniversary. I can’t express how grateful I am for the incredible support the book has received.

Even a year on, I’m still dazed when I think that my childhood dream of becoming a published author has been fulfilled!

Just the other day I got my latest royalties statement. I did some basic arithmetic and discovered that the book has sold nearly 5,000 copies so far! I’m floored. I heard somewhere that 90% of books never break 1,000 copies. I’m incredibly pleased that The Riddle of the Tongue-Stones is still selling strong. In particular, I’m proud to note (based on the many messages and fan-mail I’ve received) that it has strong appeal with both boys and girls in the target age group (8-12).

Right now, you can get your own copy of Riddle of the Tongue-Stones for 20% OFF directly from my publisher’s website!

The Riddle of the Tongue-Stones

If you want to learn more about Riddle of the Tongue-Stones, check out the launch post from last year or my appearance on the Votive Podcast. My wonderful editor interviewed me about the book, the challenges and joys of writing children’s nonfiction, making science accessible for kids, and the books that influenced me as a young reader.

That’s all for now!

Unfortunately, I have no other updates for you this month. Hopefully, I’ll be able to share a some details about a few special projects in the March update. Until then, I have to keep them under wraps.

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Because of an ongoing family health emergency, I’ve had to take a hiatus from podcasting and from writing freelance articles. You can find more details about what’s been going on in January’s Pageturning Report.

Please continue to pray for my family as we make our way through this crisis. The support and kindness I’ve encountered as part of the Substacker community has been simply extraordinary.

Until next time, God bless and happy reading!

This was not how I expected the new year to begin…

The first month of 2026 has been a difficult one. And I don’t mean because of the many horrible things happening in the nation and the world at large, though those events have indeed been weighing on my heart. Something more personal and much closer to home has upended the last several weeks.

If you follow me on Substack Notes, you know many of the details. But, briefly, this is what happened…

I wasn’t expecting this…

Not long after New Year’s, an unexpected family health emergency occurred. Having a loved one in the hospital is always a scary and emotionally intense experience. You might remember that something similar occurred in my family at about the same time last year. Going through it all over again was tough for us. The amazing emotional support and prayers of the community here on Substack has helped get me through it. And I’m happy to report that our loved one is out of immediate danger.

Please keep the prayers coming! We aren’t out of the woods yet. The hospital stay is thankfully over now but my family and I are in the midst of tough decisions about future long-term care.

Writing

Despite everything, I have managed to get some work done. In fact, writing has been the main thing (after prayer and the sacraments) that has sustained me and given me the strength to provide assistance to my family during this sudden emergency.

In fact, I’ve been working on two major projects. First, I’ve been attempting to meet a goal that I set with the help of my writing coach to spend at least sixty hours over ten weeks working on my next children’s nonfiction title, a follow-up to my debut book, The Riddle of the Tongue-Stones.

I wrote a (very) rough draft last year, but this project has languished since then because I haven’t set aside dedicated time to make progress on it. I finished a ton of research last week and just wrote a newly revised draft that’s about 4,300 words long.

Right now I’m taking a break from the kids’ book to sprint to the finish line for a second writing project. I can’t say much about it yet, except that it is part of a nonfiction anthology series exploring topics in faith and popular culture. I have four chapters due to my editor by February 14th. That’s a tight deadline and it will require pulling some late nights but I’m confident that I can make it work.

I’m off to a strong start. One of the chapters exists as a preliminary draft that will need some heavy revisions. Two more have detailed multi-page outlines. For the fourth chapter I have some ideas but nothing “on paper” just yet.

So, the next two-and-a-half weeks are going to be an extremely busy time for me. But I feel energized rather than stressed about it. As always, I’d appreciate your prayers. I can’t wait to announce these two books sometime later this year!

Podcasts

Because of the family emergency, I’ve stepped away temporarily from recording podcasts for StarQuest (SQPN). But a few episodes that I previously recorded have recently premiered:

The Secrets of Middle-Earth

What happens when evil isn’t fully defeated? I’m joined by my friends Pat Mason, and Jeff Haecker to finish our discussion of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Silmarillion. We unpack Isildur’s failure, Gondor’s long decline, and the fading of the Elves. The Third Age asks a hard question: is victory ever truly final?

The Secrets of Star Wars

What does freedom cost when it’s forced on you? I join Jeff Haecker and Robert King unpack Star Wars Visions: The Bounty Hunters—from droid identity and slavery to anime excess and moral gray zones. Can action alone carry big ideas?

A Star Wars story without Jedi or the Empire—does it still feel like Star Wars? I join Robert King and Jeff Haecker to unpack Yuko’s Treasure, asking whether family—not credits—is the real inheritance, and why this anime-style episode hits so hard emotionally.

The Secrets of Movies & TV Shows

Is 2001: A Space Odyssey a filmmaking masterpiece or a visual endurance test? I’m joined by Patrick Mason, Robert King, and Jeff Haecker tackle the HAL-9000’s AI warning, the origins of human violence, alien intelligence, and that unforgettable ending. Does progress save us—or undo us?

What happens when a war hero finally comes home—and finds rot everywhere? I join Alix Murray and Jeff Haecker, to debate trauma, kingship, and the epic return of Odysseus.

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If you’ve read this far, thank you so much! The support of my readers on Substack and my podcast listeners means the world to me. If you know anyone who’d be interested in this newsletter, my books, or the podcasts, please share Pageturning with them!

Again, from the bottom of my heart, thanks for your prayers. Stay tuned for next month’s update. Until then, God bless and happy reading!

Wow! This year has flown by so fast! I wanted to use part of this month’s Pageturning Report to write up a brief rundown of my major creative accomplishments in 2025. Let’s get started!

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The Riddle of the Tongue-Stones

This year marked one of the biggest milestones of my life and the fulfillment of a childhood dream—I became a published author!

My debut children’s nonfiction book, The Riddle of the Tongue-Stones was released in February and has been a splendid success! When I last checked with my publisher some weeks ago, the book had sold more than 4,000 copies so far!

Buy: The Riddle of the Tongue-Stones

I’ve received so many delightful messages and photos from readers young and old who have enjoyed learning about Nicolas Steno, the saintly scientist who pioneered the study of fossils and laid the foundations of the modern geosciences.

Journey into the exciting life of Nicolas Steno, the father of geology whose passion for truth led him to groundbreaking scientific discovery and a deep religious devotion. Interwoven into this biography of a scientist and Catholic bishop is the story of fossils and the hidden history of the earth beneath our feet. With an extensive glossary of scientific terms and delightful field-guide sketches, this beautifully crafted book will inspire any young person eager to learn about the natural world and its Creator.

In April I held my first-ever book signing at my hometown independent bookstore Theodore’s Books. It was one of the highlights of 2025 for me. I only wish I had had more time and foresight to actively promote Tongue-Stones during its first year in the marketplace. In 2026 I’d like to do more in-person events: more signings and a few library story-time readings too.

You can learn more about the book and how I wrote it by listening to The Votive Podcast hosted by my wonderful editor and “book midwife” .

I’m keenly interested in appearing on podcasts to talk about Riddle of the Tongue-Stones, especially shows focused on faith, history, science, and/or children’s books. If you know of any podcasts in this vein feel free to reach out to me with recommendations.

Unexpectedly Catholic

I’m proud of my association with Voyage Comics & Publishing. The founder, Philip Kosloski, gave me my first break when I was just starting out as a freelance writer back in 2020. Since then, I’ve written for the Voyage Blog, helped with developmental editing on several comic book issues, and contributed essays to nonfiction anthologies about faith and popular culture. The fourth book in this anthology series released early this year: Unexpectedly Catholic: Seeds of the Gospel found in 20 Popular Stories.

Buy: Unexpectedly Catholic

I contributed three chapters about three different sci-fi/fantasy authors whose lives were marked by faith in some way or whose work touches (for better or worse) on religious themes. Only one of these men (Walter M. Miller, Jr) was Catholic.

• “Robert E. Howard and the Adventures of Conan”

• “How Robert Jordan Became a Modern Mythmaker”

• “Walter M. Miller, Jr and a Canticle for Faith”

My friend fellow Voyage collaborator did a great job curating the essays in this book. I hope to contribute to future Voyage projects like this in the near future. There are currently plans in the works, but I cannot say more about them now.

Field Station Delta

I must have been about ten-years-old when I first read Jurassic Park. (Which in hindsight was WAY too young to have been reading such an adult novel, haha!) Ever since then I’ve wanted to write a novel.

This year I managed to complete my first work of long-form fiction, a sci-fi thriller novella called Field Station Delta, which began as a collaboration with my good friend and sf/f writer extraordinaire . I released preliminary drafts of all the chapters as a serial here on Substack!

The final novella is about 26,000 words long and the text has been much improved thanks to the care and expertise of book editor of Trinity Tree Publishing. If I stick to my current plans, I’d like to self-publish Delta on Kindle sometime in the first quarter of next year, perhaps before the end of March. I’ll keep you posted.

Christmas 2025

Although I was sick over the holidays this year, I did manage to enjoy myself on Christmas day. My family knows, of course, that I am an incurable bookworm, so I received many, many books. I was so delighted!

I hope and pray that you and yours had a happy and healthy holiday season.

Podcasts

The Secrets of Middle-Earth

Sauron’s fake repentance. Celebrimbor’s fatal pride. What makes a ring powerful? In our 100th episode, I’m joined by my friends Rob Leonardi, Pat Mason, and Jeff Haecker to uncover the roots of evil in the final chapters of The Silmarillion. What can Tolkien’s fantasy teach us about the nature of corruption? We also share our fond memories of podcasting together, make obscure pop culture references, and have many good laughs! Here’s to the next 100 episodes! The Road goes ever on!

The Secrets of Star Wars

A rebellious scout, a mysterious child, and a paper crane. I join Robert King and Kathryn Laffrey to unpack a wild, heartfelt Star Wars: Visions episode blending anime charm with post-war grief and deep questions of identity and purpose.

What if the future Jedi rebuilt their Order on faith, hope, and trust—not detachment? I join Patrick Mason and Jeff Haecker to unpack The Ninth Jedi and how this anime series might herald the birth of a bold new Jedi era.

The Secrets of Movies & TV Shows

What can a felt frog teach us about redemption? I join , Jeff Haecker, and Patrick Mason to reflect on A Muppet Christmas Carol, unpacking its spiritual depth, musical soul, and surprising emotional weight beneath the whimsy.

Some final thoughts…

Before we wrap up, I just want to acknowledge that the holidays can be a painful time of year for many due to loneliness or grief or other burdens. If that’s the case for you or your family, know that I have been praying for you.

If you’ve read this far, thank you so much! The support of my readers and listeners means the world to me. If you know anyone who’d be interested in this newsletter, my books, or the podcasts, please share Pageturning with them!

Until next time, happy holidays, Merry Christmas, and happy reading!

John the Baptist appeared, preaching in the desert of Judea and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!”

At that time Jerusalem, all Judea, and the whole region around the Jordan were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the Jordan River as they acknowledged their sins.

— Matthew 3: 1-2, 5-6

Sometimes, my life seems like such a tremendous mess that it’s beyond salvaging. Perhaps my sins are beyond the reach of God’s mercy. The harder I try, the worse things seem to get. There are days when I feel kinship with the demoralized Charlie Brown in A Charlie Brown Christmas. I want to wail, like he did, that the situation is hopeless because “everything I touch gets ruined!”

Of course, these lies I tell myself are the complete antithesis of Christian hope. Although it’s often forgotten in the joy—and stress—of the secular holiday rush, Advent is a penitential season. It’s a time of repentance. A time when we should meditate on where our lives really stand before God. Not in fear of punishment, but in expectant hope of salvation.

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How can I be freed from the lies of scrupulosity and despair? John the Baptist shows the way. The way of the desert. Many Christians throughout the history of the Church have followed his example—quite literally! Saint Anthony of Egypt and the other Desert Fathers and Mothers of the early centuries found wisdom and holiness in the austere beauty of the wilderness.

One of my favorite saints is Charles de Foucauld, whom I’ve written about at length elsewhere. Foucauld left behind a life of selfish wantonness to become a hermit priest in the Sahara. He ministered in poverty and radical obscurity, far from civilization, until he was murdered by violent partisans who suspected he was a French spy.

Deserts are places of simplicity and silence. That’s why the holy men and women have sought them out for centuries. Free from attachments and distractions, they could hear and be directed by the “still small voice”1 of God. They could discover the what was truly necessary for salvation—aligning their lives with God’s will. Repentance, divesting ourselves of sins and disordered attachments, is part of this process.

Obviously, I don’t feel called to literally leave my suburban life and go live in a desert somewhere. But the lives John the Baptist, Anthony of Egypt, and Charles de Foucauld can still inspire practical Advent devotions for you and me, right now, right where we are.

Here are three simple practices you might try in the next few weeks:

• Take a one day a week (perhaps Sunday) off from the distractions of social media. Silence the apps on your phone. Spend some of the time you would have spent scrolling in quiet prayer instead.

• Seek out a local Adoration chapel or a church that reserves time for the Blessed Sacrament to be exposed. Spend a holy hour in prayer and silence before our Eucharistic Lord. Listen for his “still small voice.”

• Find some quiet time in the evening to make an examination of conscience. Light a candle and ask God’s forgiveness for the sins you have committed. Ask the Lord to show you which disordered attachments he is asking you to renounce. Make time to go to the Sacrament of Reconciliation before Christmas.

Seek out God “in the desert” this Advent with confidence. God’s mercy is yours for the asking. In my worst moments I may moan that “everything I touch gets ruined.” But in the silence of quiet church or in my home “prayer corner” before dawn, I remember that everything God touches is renewed.

The daily Scripture readings can be found on the USCCB website.

Jesus went around to all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues,
proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom, and curing every disease and illness. At the sight of the crowds, his heart was moved with pity for them because they were troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd.

Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest.”

— Matthew 9:35-38

As I’ve written before, I’ve experienced a few powerful moments in my life when I felt, deep in the inner recesses of my heart, that God was clearly calling me “further up and further in.” (Remember that famous line from the Narnia books?) It was the call to adventure, like Gandalf unexpectedly showing up on Bilbo’s doorstep one fine morning. Or like Luke Skywalker gazing wistfully at the binary sunset.

Of course, I’m not called to be a Hobbit “burglar” or courageous Jedi Knight. At least, I don’t believe so. But that doesn’t really matter, because God has a unique call—vocation—for each person he has created. The Lord (like a a certain grey wizard) is “looking for someone to share in an adventure.”

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But wait, isn’t today’s passage from the Gospel of Matthew about workers laboring in a harvest? What does that have to do with adventure? It has everything to do with it! Let me explain.

The harvest is the adventure. The field is contested. There are enemies afoot.1 One only needs a passing familiarity with the Church’s history to realize that the work of the Kingdom is as perilous for lay faithful as for priests and nuns. A good priest recently reminded me of this: “The laity are on the front lines of the Church.”

The lay vocation (either in marriage or as a committed single person) is a serious endeavor. All of us are called to announce the coming of God’s Kingdom no matter what our state in life is. All of us are called to embark on the adventure of working with God in the harvest.

There are as many ways to reap the harvest as their are laypeople. God has called you to announce the joy of the Gospel where you are, in your specific circumstances. I’m reminded of a famous meditation composed by St. John Henry Newman. I pray with it often.

God has created me to do Him some definite service. He has committed some work to me which He has not committed to another. I have my mission—I may never know it in this life, but I shall be told it in the next.

And what is my mission? Well, as a writer, for one thing. My priest friend recognized it: “I think writing is where God is leading you right now. It’s clear that writing is where your heart is. And that’s a gift. The question now is, in what context are you called to use your gift?”

Should I continue to live as an unmarried layman, utilizing my freedom from family obligations to offer my time and talents more fully to the service of God’s people? Or is God calling me to a greater adventure? Do I have a vocation to religious life, where I would be supported and directed in my charism by the strength of a prayerful community? I don’t have an answer to this question yet.

Fortunately, we’re not on the adventure alone. As members of the Church, the Mystical Body of Christ, we can pray for one another. Could you say a prayer for me? I’ll certainly be praying for you.

Let’s set out into the field of adventure together!

The daily Scripture readings can be found on the USCCB website.

As Jesus passed by, two blind men followed him, crying out, “Son of David, have pity on us!”

When he entered the house, the blind men approached him and Jesus said to them,
“Do you believe that I can do this?”

“Yes, Lord,” they said to him.

Then he touched their eyes and said, “Let it be done for you according to your faith.” And their eyes were opened.

— Matthew 9:27-30

How many times have I read the passage of the two blind men from the Gospel of Matthew? Beats me. I don’t recall having ever heard it preached. But I must have, at some point. Compared to the many other dramatic scenes from the New Testament, is it really that memorable?

After all, it’s just another story about Jesus performing a healing miracle, right? I don’t know offhand how many separate incidents there are in the gospels where Jesus cures a blind person. There’s at least few. It’s easy for them all to sort of blend together without leaving much of an impression.

But this week, when I read the story in preparation to write this reflection, something jumped out at me. You ever have those moments, when you’re reading Scripture and suddenly some seemingly insignificant detail that you always took for granted just leaps off the page like it’s illuminated by glaring neon?

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So, what amazing detail am I talking about here? Read the beginning of the passage again and pay close attention:

As Jesus passed by, two blind men followed him, crying out, “Son of David, have pity on us!”

Did you notice it? Jesus passed by. He walked right past those two guys begging him for help. You’d expect him to stop immediately and render aid. But he doesn’t. In fact, he appears to ignore them. He passes by. Then the blind men start following Jesus around. (Presumably, they stuck pretty close to him.) But he doesn’t say anything to them. He doesn’t acknowledge them. He passes by. He walks on to his destination like nothing’s the matter.

But the two men are not deterred. Read the next line of the story:

When he entered the house, the blind men approached him and Jesus said to them,
“Do you believe that I can do this?”

Even though they had no luck getting his attention on the road, the blind men follow Jesus right into the house where he was staying. Talk about persistence! For his part, Jesus does not appear to resent the intrusion. Instead, he calmly asks them if they believe he can restore their sight. They answer in the affirmative. Their faith, their persistence, and their boldness is rewarded. Their eyes are opened.

Here’s the lesson I took from reading this story with new eyes, so to speak: Jesus’s silence during the first part of the encounter is not a reproach. It’s not a rejection. It is an invitation. An invitation for the two men to follow him and to visit him where he is staying.

Jesus wants them to ask him for sight. In fact, he’s longed for it from all eternity. He’s been waiting for this moment since before the foundations of the earth were shaped! But with his silence, he asks the blind men to wait a little bit longer and invites them to pursue him, secure in their faith that he can and will grant the deepest desire of their hearts—the desire to see.

If only we had such faith! So many of us grapple with the silence that seems to us to be divine indifference. We pray and pray for intentions that are close to our hearts—sometimes for years—yet they somehow appear to go unanswered.

Maybe God is just inviting us to wait, to be patient just a little longer, to keep crying out to him, to follow him wherever he goes, secure in faith that he has can and will do what’s best for us. Or, perhaps, our prayers have already been answered but we’ve missed it because we don’t have eyes to see. There is such a thing as spiritual blindness.

Let’s pray boldly for the gift of sight! With spiritual vision, we’ll be able see what truly matters—what our life is about, where we are going, and who around us is most in need of our prayers, our talents, and our time.

It’s Advent and Jesus Christ, the Word of God and the Light of the World, is coming. He’ll be passing by. I pray that when he does, may he be “a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.”1

The daily Scripture readings can be found on the USCCB website.

“Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house. But it did not collapse; it had been set solidly on rock. And everyone who listens to these words of mine but does not act on them will be like a fool who built his house on sand. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house. And it collapsed and was completely ruined.”

— Matthew 7:24-27

Confession time: I hate interruptions. Like, I really hate them. On the weekdays when I work from home on my creative projects, I like to have long stretches of uninterrupted time alone to focus on writing.

Knock knock knock.

I open the door to my bedroom/office. My parents need something. I have to drop what I’m doing and troubleshoot some glitch with Mom’s smartphone or google directions for Dad’s upcoming medical appointment.

Whew! That’s over. I can get back to work.

Knock knock knock.

Argh. What now? Mom needs photocopies of a bill that came in the mail. Dad’s TV seems to be on the fritz.

Okay. Finally finished with that. Writing time.

Knock knock knock…

AARGH!!!

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As you can tell, I’m not very patient. Especially when I’m interrupted. But don’t get me wrong! I love my parents and I’m glad that they live with me. It’s a blessing that I have the opportunity to care for them in their twilight years. Especially after all that they’ve done to support me and encourage my dreams. The least I can do for them is endure the occasional “interruption.”

But, like any family, there are times when we all get on one another’s nerves. I for one can snap at petty annoyances. I can be jealous of my time.

So we come to today’s passage from the Gospel of Matthew. Christ urges us to heed his words. The words of Jesus are spirit and life.1 What better foundation is there upon which to build our lives? How is Jesus speaking to us in this special season?

Advent is time for listening and awareness, for reflection and prayer. We should attend more closely to the words of Jesus. We can assess whether we’ve truly been faithful to the great commandment to “love God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind… [and to] love your neighbor as yourself.”2

There’s a good litmus test for whether I truly love my neighbor as myself: how do I deal with those dearest to me, my family and closest friends? Do I sometimes treat them with indifference or take them for granted? Do I resent their needs as bothersome “interruptions”?

I don’t know if you’ve ever read J.R.R. Tolkien’s allegorical short story “Leaf by Niggle”? I’ve written about it before. It’s a bit embarrassing to admit, but I’m a lot like Niggle—a fussy little guy who hates to be interrupted by neighborly obligations that take him away from his beloved artistic projects.

Really, I’m sure we’re all at least a little bit like Niggle. That’s what gives Tolkien’s tale true allegorical power. But, thank goodness, there’s hope for Niggle—and for us! We can learn to see the interruptions in our daily routines as invitations. Invitations from God to move outside of our cramped, fussy little selves and into a wider world of adventure. Indeed, the greatest adventure of all—the Christian life.

And it all starts with listening. So, take some time for quiet prayer this Advent. What areas in your life need improvement in order to make ready for the coming of Jesus? How God is calling you to conversion today? Maybe write your reflections down in a prayer journal like I do. You might be surprised at what you discover.

And if someone interrupts your quiet prayer time, praise God! It might be just the invitation you needed.

The daily Scripture readings can be found on the USCCB website.

Jesus said to them, “How many loaves do you have?”

“Seven,” [the disciples] replied, “and a few fish.”

He ordered the crowd to sit down on the ground. Then he took the seven loaves and the fish, gave thanks, broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, who in turn gave them to the crowds.

They all ate and were satisfied. They picked up the fragments left over—seven baskets full.

— Matthew 15:34-37

I was desperate to write a novel.

That’s the dream I’ve had ever since I first read Jurassic Park when I was a little kid. (Michael Crichton’s books are NOT for kids!!) Anyway, I must have been about ten-years-old. Then I read J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings when I was thirteen. After that, I became obsessed. Nothing else really mattered to me except writing an epic fantasy novel. That’s what I wanted.

Oh, sure, I told myself I wanted to do other things with my life. I spent a lot of time and effort working towards those goals. But I still spent countless hours daydreaming about writing that fantasy novel.

Fast forward to Autumn, 2022. By this point I’d been working (that is, struggling) as a professional writer for a little over two years. I had, to my mind, precious little to show for all my hard work. I had not written a book yet. All of my ideas for epic fantasy novels were going nowhere.

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I hope you can see what the problem was. I sure didn’t.

Here’s what I couldn’t see—I’d made my “writing life” all about me. My ideas. My projects. My dreams. It was my ego getting in the way and I couldn’t see the obvious solution right in front of me. Luckily there were others who could.

I’ll always remember exactly where I was when I had my breakthrough moment. I was sitting on a park bench with my mom overlooking the Long Island Sound. Mom turned to me, and, in her usual way, insisted that I was fighting against the current by trying to write a big impressive novel. She saw a different potential in me that I didn’t recognize.

“I think you have it in you to write a children’s book,” she said. “You love Blessed Nicolas Steno, the saint who dug up fossils. I think you should write a children’s book about him.”

Mom had made this pitch to me before and I’d resisted it every time. But this time was different. There was grace in this moment. It was the moment when I decided to stop conforming my writing endeavors to my own ego’s desires, to my own narrow little ideas about success, and put it all in God’s hands instead.

The rest, as the saying goes, is history. Three years later my debut children’s book The Riddle of the Tongue-Stones is touching the lives of readers young and old all across the country. A new generation is being introduced to one of my intellectual heroes, the saintly scientist Nicolas Steno.

When I gave my talents back to God, emptied my ego, and conformed my plans to his grace, miracles happened. That’s the best way I can describe it.

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Have you ever heard of the Suscipe prayer? It was written by St. Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Jesuits. There are many translations out there. Here’s one that’s stuck with me.

Lord Jesus Christ, take all my freedom, me memory, my understanding, and my will. All that I have and cherish you have given me. I surrender it all to be guided by your will. Your grace and your love are wealth enough for me. Give me these, Lord Jesus, and I ask for nothing more.

Here’s what this prayer means to me: Sometimes—okay, most of the time—I tend to use my talents for myself. I want to be a successful writer. This invariably leads to frustration and discouragement. But it’s completely different when I freely offer myself and my gifts and talents back to God.

When I say, “Here, this is yours, God. I give it back to you. Do what you want with it,” things have a remarkable way of working out better than I could have ever planned it. And that’s a lesson we can all take from the Gospel stories of the miraculous multiplication of the loaves.

Think about it: It didn’t take much—only seven loaves of (probably stale) bread and a couple of dried fish—to feed four thousand plus people! The disciples probably had their own plans for that stuff (like dinner) but when they offered what little they had to Jesus, he worked a miracle.

So, offer to God all that you have and are. Don’t be afraid! He will satisfy the deepest longings of your heart. Trust me on this one—God’s plans are better than ours anyway.

The daily Scripture readings can be found on the USCCB website.

Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, “I give you praise, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to the childlike. Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father. No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him.”

— Luke 10:21-22

I’ve been a collector for as long as I can remember. I collect all kinds of eclectic things: rare sci-fi paperbacks, 1990s Justice League comics, Godzilla action figures, hand-painted toy soldiers. Heck, I still have my childhood rock collection!

But the thing any collector has to come to grips with is this: No matter how large or impressive our collections grow, they’ll always fail to satisfy us. There will always be “one more thing” to add to our collections.

So, what do my oddball collecting habits have to do with today’s gospel passage?

I’m glad you asked.

St. Luke memorably records how Jesus, the Son of God begotten from all eternity, praises the Father for revealing something of infinite value to the humble and childlike. What secret has the Father revealed? Nothing less than the inner life of God, which is love.

And God has desired from all eternity to share his life with you and me! When you really stop to ponder the immensity and glory of that gift that in silence—and few of us ever really try—the thought is staggering.

No, it’s more than that. It’s mind-blowing! World-altering! Life-changing!

It’s the Good News.

But, despite all that, I desperately cling to earthly goods. I collect and hoard. And so, my hands and heart are not free to receive the gifts that God wishes to pour out on me; “a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing.”1

Don’t mistake what I’m driving at here. Possessions are not evil in themselves. God made the whole world “very good.”2 The treasures we store up here on earth are good. But they are infinitely less good than God.

When Adam and Eve grasped at the fruit of the Garden, they lost their share in God’s life. They traded infinite, everlasting love for finite, fleeting pleasure. But so do we, when we are attached to our “stuff” in a disordered way. The truth is, the more stuff I collect, the less room there is in my life for the life-giving love of God.

To receive a share in God’s life is to become my truest self, to “put on the new man”3 who God created me to be. But to receive this life I must first undergo a kind of death, an emptying. “Dying to self” is what the saints called it. But death is only the prologue to resurrection. God desires us to empty ourselves only so he can fill us up again.

God offers himself to us over and over every day of our lives. At Christmas, the commemoration of the gift of Jesus coming into the world, he will offer himself to us in a special way.

Let’s prepare the best we can to receive him with empty hands and open hearts. Because the love of God is no mere collectible to place on a shelf. It’s the precious gift prepared for us from all eternity.

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The daily Scripture readings can be found on the USCCB website.

When Jesus entered Capernaum, a centurion approached him and appealed to him, saying, “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, suffering dreadfully.”

He said to him, “I will come and cure him.”

The centurion said in reply, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof; only say the word and my servant will be healed. For I too am a man subject to authority, with soldiers subject to me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come here,’ and he comes; and to my slave, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”

When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him, “Amen, I say to you, in no one in Israel have I found such faith. I say to you, many will come from the east and the west, and will recline with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob at the banquet in the Kingdom of heaven.”

— Matthew 8:5-11

The Roman centurion’s attitude puts me immediately in mind of St. Thérèse of Lisieux.

“C’est la confiance et rien que la confiance qui doit nous conduire à l’Amour.”

“It is confidence and nothing but confidence that must lead us to Love.”1

Thérèse’s childlike (NOT childish) confidence in God’s love for us is also called faith. We too can cultivate this faith. It’s God’s gift to everyone. Faith grows into hope and gives birth to love. Love, joy, and immense gratitude.

Everything I have and everything I am is a gift from God. Therefore I can live without anxiety, stepping forward on the path boldly in the knowledge that “all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.”2

When we give God the reins and trust him with the simple, childlike faith of the centurion and of St. Thérèse, truly amazing things can happen!

I’ve seen this principle at work in my own life. My debut book, The Riddle of the Tongue-Stones, was not the book I expected—or even wanted—to write. Not at first. But I trusted that this unlikely children’s book was part of God’s plan. And my trust has been rewarded.

I’ve seen Riddle continually bear good fruit since it was first published ten months ago. The saintly story of Blessed Nicolas Steno, the first geologist, has touched the lives of readers young and old all across the country.

None of this would have been possible if I hadn’t responded to God’s initial invitation to write the book. God has done more with that little act of confidence than I could ever have asked for or imagined. I can’t express how grateful I am for God’s goodness to me. I pray that he will continue to bless everyone who reads my little book.

Whatever God may be inviting you to be or to do, have confidence—nothing but confidence.

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The daily Scripture readings can be found on the USCCB website.

“Stay awake! For you do not know on which day your Lord will come. Be sure of this: if the master of the house had known the hour of night when the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and not let his house be broken into. So too, you also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.”

— Matthew 24:42-44

Am I ready for the coming of Christ? How can I best prepare my heart and soul for the reception of Jesus when he comes into the world at Christmas?

Here are three simple ways:

1. Pray earnestly—every day—to be freed from every conscious attachment to sin. Make a daily Act of Contrition.

2. Resolve to grow closer to Mary, the Mother of God. She will lead me to Jesus and keep me at his side. Recite the Hail Mary three times every day.

3. Make some small sacrifice or act of penance every day in reparation for my sins. Simple things like forgoing my favorite soft drink or refusing to hit the snooze on my alarm clock.

Advent is a season of reorientation and renewal. Let’s all find simple, concrete ways we can turn towards Christ and so be ready to welcome him with joy when he comes.

Note: I’m going to try and post as many of these super-brief daily Advent reflections as I can during this wonderful liturgical season. I’m taking my inspiration from the prompts in Bishop Robert Barron’s little booklet of Advent reflections. I picked up a copy recently at my parish church.

The daily Scripture readings can be found on the USCCB website.

Hey there, friends! A briefer update than usual this month. I’ve been increasingly busy with work and family obligations, but I do have some exciting news to share before the Thanksgiving holiday.

Writing updates

Grim Winter anthology

Many thanks to for inviting me to collaborate on the new dark fantasy anthology Grim Winter. This collection of short stories will showcase my short story “What the Winter Took” alongside the contributions of many other talented authors. I’ll also be providing a brief forward to the anthology.

“What the Winter Took” is progressing well. I hope to finish the first draft this week or next and then dive headlong into revisions. This will be my first published piece of fantasy writing and I want it to be the best it can be. I’m so excited to share the fruits of this collaboration with you soon.

Winter’s Maw

“What the Winter took is actually a prequel to a fantasy novel I’ve been developing for the past couple of months. It’s called Winter’s Maw and I hope it will be the first of an eventual series. (I currently have ideas for several more adventures featuring this protagonist.)

The outline for this book is almost finished. I hope to begin working on a rough draft in the New Year. Not much more to report yet. But I plan on sharing more details, including a spoiler-free synopsis, in the weeks ahead.

Field Station Delta

Originally, I had planned to release my paranormal sci-fi novella on Amazon Kindle this very month. But life circumstances, including my increasingly hectic schedule, forced me to delay those plans until at least February 2026.

For those who may have missed last month’s update, check out the splendid cover art I commissioned for the book!

There are several tasks that need to get done before I’m ready to self-publish Field Station Delta, including:

• Finish revisions on the bonus short stories “Site J-7” and “Missing Time.”

• Proofread the entire manuscript.

• Commission the final cover design and layout.

• Get the interior of the book formatted.

• I’m sure there’s something else I’ve forgotten…

Stay tuned for future updates on my progress. As soon as the book is available, you guys will be the first to know!

Podcasts

The Secrets of Middle-Earth

In the Akallabêth, the kingdom of Númenor teeters on ruin as fear of death eclipses faith. Is mortality a gift or a curse? I join Rob Leonardi, Jeff Haecker, and Patrick Mason to discuss Tolkien’s Atlantis myth and its spiritual echoes.

What drives a golden kingdom to collapse into the sea? I’m joined by Patrick Mason, Rob Leonardi, and Jeff Haecker to dissect Númenor’s fall in the second part of the Akallabêth. Sauron the deceiver, Pharazon the proud, and Elendil the faithful—all of them will face a reckoning in the dramatic unravelling of the island realm.

The Secrets of Star Wars

Rotta the Hutt returns? Grogu fights a giant monster? The trailer for The Mandalorian & Grogu sparks wild theories about Thrawn’s rise, Zeb’s role, and a possible heist. I join my friends Jeff Haecker and Patrick Mason to break it all down.

Star Wars: Visions S3 opens with a sharp debate: Is the “Ronin” pursuing justice or indulging revenge? I join my friends Patrick Mason and Jeff Haecker to unpack the episode’s samurai aesthetic, fractured Force philosophies, and the Grandmaster’s twisted mission.

The Secrets of Movies & TV Shows

What happens when “love” is just control in disguise? Season 3 of Foundation raises the stakes with shocking betrayals, the fall of empire, and a chilling twist on Isaac Asimov’s “Mule.” I join Jeff Haecker and Patrick Mason to ask what the future holds for the Foundation and question what truly drives humanity.

Some final thoughts…

Before we wrap up, I just want to with everyone, no matter where you are, a Happy Thanksgiving. I know that for many, the holidays can be a painful time of year due to loneliness or grief or other burdens. If that’s the case for you or your family, know that I’ll be praying for you.

If you’ve read this far, thank you so much! The support of my readers and listeners means the world to me. If you know anyone who’d be interested in this newsletter, my books, or the podcasts, please share Pageturning with them!

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Until next time, God bless, and happy reading!