A journey through my writing, ideas, and philosophy

📚 Fiction Projects

Feature Section: The Book of Ledger – First Look

Some secrets can’t be balanced.

Step into the shadowed halls of Greystone University, where whispered alliances, candlelit rituals, and a mysterious Ledger bind the fate of those who dare to read its pages. This is your first glimpse into my upcoming Dark Academia series, The Book of Ledger.

The lamp’s glow barely reached the edges of the desk, leaving the corners of the library to dissolve into shadow. Elias ran his hand over the leather cover—the Ledger was heavier than it looked, the kind of weight that wasn’t just physical. Its pages whispered as he opened it, the ink shifting like it resented being read. Names emerged in the margins, faint and ghosted, as if written by a hesitant hand centuries ago.

Harper leaned closer, catching the scent of old paper and candle wax.
“Those names weren’t there yesterday,” she said.

Elias didn’t look up. “They weren’t there an hour ago.”

The wind rattled the windows, though they were four floors underground. Somewhere beyond the rows of books, a floorboard creaked. The Ledger’s newest entry spread across the page, the ink still wet. It was a name neither of them recognized—yet somehow, both felt the cold certainty they would.

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Out of Time

Genre: Sci-Fi / Time Travel / Multiverse
Available on Amazon Out of Time

“I’ll see you again,” he whispered. “Where memory fails.”

A team of academic misfits and scientists must navigate alternate dimensions and ancient wisdom to stop a rising threat across time. Rooted in real academic experience and theoretical physics, Out of Time is both an adventure and an exploration of meaning.

Behind the Scenes: This novel emerged from my reflections on the nature of time, the search for truth in both science and theology, and my years in higher education.

Book 2 in the Guardian Series:

Guardians for the Celestial Nexus (Available NOW!)

Sequel to Out of Time

The Guardians are back. With echoes of string theory, ancient harmony, and the mysterious Convergence Assembly, this sequel expands the universe and deepens the philosophical stakes.

Preview:

The ninth note had never been played—until now.

Themes:

The music of the spheres
String theory & the 9 dimensions
A theological arc that suggests a divine creator at the center of the multiverse

Baggage Claim from Beyond (Short Story)

Genre: Humorous Fantasy/Sci-Fi

When luggage gains sentience and recounts its misadventures between Orlando, Scotland, and Memphis, you’ll never look at baggage claims the same way again.

Excerpt:

“It wasn’t just the TSA that opened me up—it was fate.”

📈 Nonfiction Projects

Navigating Higher Education in the 21st Century

Theme: 40 years of teaching, faith, and academic reform

Drawing from my decades in Christian and public universities, this work reflects on the tension between mission and market, tradition and technology.

Sample Chapter:

“The student who took eleven years to earn his degree taught me more about perseverance than any faculty meeting ever could.”

Here is the introduction to my book:

The classroom was alive with anticipation. As I stood there for the first time, facing a sea of eager, uncertain faces, a mix of emotions—excitement, anxiety, and a deep sense of responsibility—washed over me. It was my very first day as a teaching assistant at the University of Iowa, just one semester into my PhD program, and I was about to lead a section of 45 business majors through the Principles of Finance.

The room felt larger than life, filled with students of diverse backgrounds and motivations, each one bringing their own expectations into that space. Finance majors sat at the front, leaning in with anticipation, their confidence rooted in familiarity. Behind them, accounting majors were already halfway bored; they viewed this course as nothing more than a checkbox on their academic requirements list. Then there were the rest of the business majors, many of them gazing at me with apprehension. For them, finance wasn’t just a course—it was a hurdle that loomed dauntingly over their academic journey, far outside their comfort zone.

Truth be told, I was just as intimidated as they were. It was my responsibility not only to understand the material inside and out but to convey it in a way that connected with each student—regardless of whether they approached finance with confidence or dread. That first class marked the beginning of a journey that would take me through nearly every facet of higher education over the next four decades. It was a journey that would include triumphs and setbacks, challenges I couldn’t have foreseen, and opportunities that would shape me into the educator, administrator, and advocate I am today.

Stewarding Wealth (In Progress)

Theme: Financial wisdom rooted in faith and behavior

This book blends behavioral finance, spiritual stewardship, and human flourishing.

Excerpt:

“Money is a test, not a goal. Stewardship is the syllabus.”

Special Section: How behavior predicts market emotion and economic turning points

💭 Philosophy Behind the Pen

I write because the world is too complex for soundbites.

Whether it’s the mystery of quantum entanglement, the patterns in a market chart, or the moral test of a fictional character—I’m drawn to what lies beneath.

My philosophy blends theology, finance, and curiosity: we’re all stewards, called to act with wisdom in an uncertain world.

This page brings it all together—fiction that wrestles with meaning, nonfiction that teaches through story, and a life devoted to curiosity, clarity, and calling.

Fairways and Fiascos: My One-Week, Four-Week Golf Trip to Scotland

It started with a dream: to finally play five legendary golf courses in Scotland, including the Old Course at St. Andrews—the holy grail for golf lovers. It ended, quite fittingly, with a suitcase rebellion in Memphis. Along the way, my luggage enjoyed a grand tour of Florida, the U.K., and shipping purgatory—arriving just in time to almost miss everything important. Meanwhile, I played some of the best golf of my life wearing the same pair of pants I wore on the flight over to Scotland and growing increasingly suspicious of anything labeled “Luggage Free.”

Let’s rewind.

The Plan: Meticulous, Methodical, and Ultimately Misguided

In August of 2023, nearly a year ahead of my July 2024 trip, I locked in my reservations for the ultimate golf experience: five world-renowned courses, one after the other, with good friends, fine meals, and hopefully some halfway decent golf. I’d be based at the luxurious Rusacks Hotel in St. Andrews, where you can literally lean out the window and land your ball on the Old Course’s 18^th fairway.

I wanted the trip to be perfect—no last-minute rush, no dragging clubs through airports, no misplaced luggage. So I turned to Luggage Free, a company I’d used before with great results. I scheduled a pickup for my golf bag and two suitcases for Wednesday, June 25—ten days ahead of my arrival. That gave the luggage over a week to arrive in Scotland. What could go wrong?

Answer: Everything.

Here is the link to my entire article on Substack: Fairways and Fiascos