God Our Protector

This is the very first short story of mine ever to be published when it appeared in the hard copy of The Tarepian Rock two years ago.  Stalin’s purges have always been an object of great fascination to me, especially as one of the lesser-discussed genocides in our world’s history, and even though I was fifteen when I wrote this, all of the issues presented in this fictional story continue to exist (in varying forms) in the world today.

The thunderous pounding on the front door split through the still atmosphere of our apartment as my family sat, huddled and shaking, willing ourselves to disappear. …

Pizza and Journalism

Here’s an excerpt of an article I wrote last summer for the Gallatin News on a little pizza shop in Downtown Gallatin. It was my first newspaper publication, and my very first time conducting an interview. Go check it out!

“The atmosphere of Prince Street Pizza and Pub catches your attention before you even walk in the door. From the near-finished mural on the outside of the brick building to the various scribblings and messages covering the walls inside, the small town hangout instantly gives you the feeling of wanting to sit down and stay awhile…”…

Finding Inspiration in the Airport

Here’s an essay I wrote last fall for for a friend over at The Fellowship of the King. Enjoy!

It was my first solo flight. I’d made it through customs with only two near panic attacks, and had now for two solid hours clung to both my backpack and my plane ticket like either of them would vanish into thin air if I let them go. This would leave me stranded and lost in a large airport where I would likely find some way to accidentally commit a felony and get myself arrested, booked on criminal charges, and never see …