A Reassessment of Asherah (1993)

Weathering the Psalms (2014)

Holy Horror (2018)

Nightmares with the Bible (2021)

The Wicker Man (2023)

We are, I have long believed, made up of the books we read.

I write because I can’t help it. I once told a friend I wouldn’t mind being stranded on a desert island as long as I could write about my experiences while there. Although my publication history may not reveal it, I’m interested in many topics. My nonfiction titles tend to be tied to religion—but they aren’t religious—because that’s what I know best. A fascination with goddesses led to my dissertation and first book. I have plans to return to this topic eventually but there are so many other interesting things!

Living in the Midwest for many years, in “Tornado Alley,” led to a period of intense interest in the weather. Beyond the fact that my second book delved into the Psalms, I spent many hours mainlining tornado chaser videos. I mean it was intense. Once a relative asked me what I was watching. The screen was blank and there were several minutes (maybe half an hour?) of tornado sounds that had been recorded after the visual component left by a storm chaser had been destroyed. I answered, “This is hard core.” I’d planned to write other weather and the Bible books, but having left academia I decided to move away from those technical kinds of projects. I’m still fascinated by the weather and still read books about it.

I love monsters. I grew up loving monsters. I like movies. Horror movies. This fascination led to three books, two published and one I’m currently writing. These books explore how the Bible fits it with horror. It does. Really well in fact. These books are written for general readers. The third horror movie book isn’t about the Bible at all (or at least very little). I hope to write more directly on monsters—I’ve got a few more books started on related topics, so watch this space.

My fiction novels (all currently unpublished) cover different genres. They’re all intended as literary fiction, but may be roughly classified as magical realism, and, in one instance, steampunk. They explore some of the same themes as my nonfiction, but in less factual, more literate ways.

A brief explanation of why I focus on religion: religion effects you every day, whether you realize it or not. My books tie religion to everyday topics not to make them religious, but to explore them from a different angle. I’m not out to convert anyone. My goal is to make people aware.