SciFi - Fantasy Author

As an author, I am appreciative of readers who derive value, that is to say enjoyment, encouragement, or a glimpse of beauty, from the stories I write. I am especially grateful if they articulate their enjoyment in a review. Along this line a reader sent me their comments and a review they posted on Goodreads.com. Anyone who compares my writing to a wonderful writer like C. S. Lewis deserves a…

I first read Asimov’s THE CURRENTS OF SPACE in elementary school and it catapulted me into a lifelong love of Science Fiction. Since I frequently re-read my favorite books, it is curious that I waited until now to re-read it. If you haven’t read it and think you might, I would like you to be aware this post contains spoilers since I will be discussing some aspects of the plot. If you are okay…

In 2025, I read Andrew M. Seddon’s WREATHS OF EMPIRE, and found it absolutely delightful.The story begins with action right away. Junior Lieutenant Jade Lafrey’s life changed when her captain (Harriet Mears-Hadley) called on her to man the empty scan console as the Proximity Alarm sounded. The fleet was under surprise attack by the alien Gara’nesh. In panic, the fleet admiral ordered a full…

As an author, it always brings a special joy when a reader picks up on the high points and the emotional drama associated with the heights that one is trying to capture in one’s writing. This anonymous email gave me that sense that I had truly communicated. Many thanks to the reader for their willingness to share their thoughts. “I recently read The Dragons of Sheol, and I wanted to reach out…

Carolyn Weber’s book, SURPRISED BY OXFORD, is one of those books I read again and again. In my latest re-reading I was struck once more by a visit Caro and her friends paid to Keble College, Oxford to view William Holman Hunt’s painting entitled “The light of the world.” It’s a scene from Revelation, Chapter three, where Jesus stands at the door, knocking. One of Caro’s friends observes the…

Books, especially novels, have given me great delight. A scene from C.S. Lewis’ The Horse and His Boy stands out. If you have read the Narnia books and remember this one, then you recall that young Shasta, a girl Aravis, and two talking Narnian horses, drawn by a great longing, were escaping Calormen to go north to Narnia. In the great city of Tashbaan, Shasta was separated from the others. In…

The year 2024 has brought both challenges and blessings. We had to adjust to the absence of Kathy’s mom after she passed away in September 2023. We miss mom very much. In November 2024 we reluctantly had to euthanize our beloved dog, Othello, after a long illness. On the blessings side, the whole Ontario Kazmaier clan traveled to Calgary to celebrate my mother’s 100th birthday. We have a game…

What would you do in King Saul's shoes?

“Judgement happens naturally; grace happens supernaturally.” — Tim Keller. The Disobedient Minister (1997). A few week ago, I listened to a fine sermon about Saul, at the tragic end of his life, when, in desperation, he sought out the medium at the town of Endor to call up the ghost of Samuel. Samuel chastised Saul for calling him up and told him that he and his sons would die in the upcoming…

A garden tomb I visited in 2020. Near one of the proposed locations of the crucifixion of Christ. Link I have known only one person in my life who has claimed to see a ghost. It was a woman and the interesting thing is that she disbelieved in the immortality of the soul before seeing the ghost and still disbelieves after having seen it. She thinks it was a hallucination. In other words, seeing…

I am just re-reading (and listening) to A Memory of Light, the final book in Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time series. My favorite books are those that I can read, and delight in, again and again. So what are my favorite classic fantasy stories? Here is my current list: Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan (and Brandon…

I’ve been thinking a good deal about Surprised by Oxford and Carolyn Drake’s disappointment at her abandonment by her father. I often see in movies the heart wrenching dilemma faced by a parent where a child is terrified by an event that just happened, be it illness, violence, or some other trauma. The parent, desperate to allay the child’s fear, looks the child in the eye and tells them, “I will…

If you loved Carolyn Weber's book, I think you'll love the movie.

Carolyn (Caro) Weber’s very personal memoir, Surprised by Oxford, is one of my favorite books. I have read it at least twice, I’ve discussed in the book club I attend, and I’ve given it to members of my family. Imagine my delight when I noted the book had been made into a movie (2023) and was available on Hoopla at my cottage area library. While eager to watch the movie, I did wondered if I would…

“I know a eugenist who promises to breed us a race of peons who will be psychologically incapable of playing me a trick like this Drudge.” — Mr. Sensible C. S. Lewis. The Pilgrim’s Regress. (1933) I keep a file of quotes that have impressed me, and recently I came across one I had collected a year ago on rereading C.S. Lewis’ The Pilgrim’s Regress “I know a eugenist who promises to breed us a…

Link to Sara Flower Kjeldsen’s blog: https://saraflower.ca/2023/02/05/reading-a-persons-entire-post-before-commenting/ Link to a cited reference in Sara’s blog: https://www.sciencealert.com/people-who-read-the-facebook-newsfeed-think-they-know-more-than-they-actually-do Introduction I wholeheartedly agree, that as a blog commenter, I ought first to thoroughly read and understand the thesis of…

My Journey to Timothy Keller I realized during the waning months of the Covid-19 pandemic lock-downs, that I had lost  two significant Bible teachers who in the past had greatly influenced my thinking. Since I missed their teaching and influence very much, I prayed to find someone whose teaching could fill this void in my life. I came across Timothy Keller’s podcasts and they have gone a long…

THE HALCYON DISLOCATION Has Just Listed on Hoopla

Hoopla Listing at the Leeds and Thousand Island Public Library If you’re interested in trying a new author, but don’t know if their writing is consistent with your taste, why not try a book from a library? The Halcyon Dislocation, the first book in The Halcyon Cycle, a Science Fiction story that reads like Fantasy, has just been listed by Hoopla, a major library lending service. Here is the…

Because of travel plans over the holidays, we decided to hold an early family Christmas celebration. As I thought about the good-natured banter, laughter and quips among the four generations present, it led me to think how much our world has changed over those generations, and how hard we have to work to get past the presuppositions that come from our histories.   The years 2021, 1992, 1963, and…