The Meaning Of The Alamo     On one of the best afternoons of my life, I drove my five year-old son Ryan to Bracketville, Texas. I'd written the rough draft of a novel about the Alamo, and returned to San Antonio for my third research trip. Ryan expressed interest in seeing where John Wayne's movie had been filmed, so we drove west for a few hours to Happy Shahan's ranch, where Wayne built a full-size Alamo, circa 1836, using more than two million adobe bricks. Tourist season was over, and we had the place to ourselves. We spent the day climbing the walls. We "played Alamo." More on this article...		Meaning and Mystery: "The Apocalypse Parable" I moved to Fort Collins, Colorado from Berea, Ohio after my high school graduation. After attending classes at Colorado State University for a few years, I dropped out to work in an all-night fast-food joint. It was always my intention to write novels, and a burger job seemed like a good way to pay bills while I planned my literary career. It was at that restaurant that I was introduced to the “mystery” that would lead to my second novel. More on this article...