The Pageturning Report: May 2025
Field Station Delta, summer writing plans, Tolkien's art, and more!
This is not the update I had planned.
Indeed, last month I’d hoped to share even more progress on my fiction writing, but because of increasing responsibilities at my day job, I had to reevaluate how much creative work I could commit to in a week without burning myself out again.
Spring is an incredibly busy time of year for us at Raynham Hall Museum, especially because it’s the peak season for school field trips to our historic Revolutionary War site. Also, there are special events like last weekend’s Memorial Day open house. But I’m not complaining! Money has been tight lately and the extra hours mean extra pay.
That’s not to say I haven’t done any writing this month. It’s just that I’ve had to be realistic about my personal expectations as well as patient and kind with myself when things didn’t work out as planned.
Writing projects
The new paranormal sci-fi novella I was working on got bogged down after the first chapter. I just didn’t have a clear enough idea of where the story was going. My outline was vague, especially regarding the third act and the climax. So for now “The Nordingham Incident” goes into my “boneyard” of unfinished stories.
My plan was to submit an Arthurian fantasy story called “The Crossroads” to a contest run by
, but I ran into a similar problem—the narrative wasn’t really going anywhere. The stakes were not clear and I had no idea if there was even an a proper antagonistic force. I knew that if I tried to force myself to write this story to meet the deadline, I would be courting burnout. So, regrettably, “The Crossroads” is also headed to the boneyard.This month I made a new goal to finish the first round of revisions on my next children’s nonfiction book. I’m glad to say that I accomplished that! In fact, I also devised a detailed plan to finish the next few revised drafts of this book over the summer. I hope to have a polished manuscript to share with my publisher in September. There’s risk involved here; Word on Fire Votive has not officially greenlit this book yet. But my editor showed enough interest to justify my decision to forge ahead.
Field Station Delta
On May 6, I began posting the current draft of my completed paranormal sci-fi/thriller as a serial here on Substack.
Senior Airman Emily Metzger wants payback.
As the only survivor of an Air Force special operations squad that was attacked by a paranormal entity in the remote mountains of Afghanistan, Metzger was immediately recruited for an ultra top-secret assignment by a mysterious government scientist. Now, instead of fighting to avenge her fallen comrades, she finds herself posted to a stateside research facility in the badlands of Wyoming.
But Field Station Delta hides a deadly secret—a classified experiment that places the unwitting residents of a nearby town in mortal danger. When casualties begin to mount, Metzger must learn to trust her instincts—and her own burgeoning paranormal abilities—to counter ruthless enemies both seen and unseen. Can she unravel the mystery of Field Station Delta before it’s too late?
The feedback I’ve gotten so far has been incredibly positive! I’m so glad that people have been enjoying this story. Honestly, I was so nervous—Would people like this story? Would it offend some subscribers? Would it land like a lead balloon?
Seems like silly worrying, doesn’t it? But to me, this whole thing felt like another big risk. So far only a few trusted friends had seen this novella. I had no idea how would my newsletter readers would react.
I figured that most people knew me for one of two things: Catholic spirituality essays and books for kids. This novella was so “different” from my normal stuff that the fear of rejection was absolutely real to me.
This novella is not a “Catholic book.” Of course, I remain a faithful Catholic writer, and my worldview undoubtedly informs the story of Field Station Delta in some subtle ways. But if you asked me for specific examples of that, I probably couldn’t provide them.
I agonized over whether it was even “right” to post this book. Did it serve a greater purpose? Was it “important” enough? Did it serve my “mission”? Didn’t everything I write have to “lead people to Jesus” in some way? How could a military sci-fi thriller do that? Maybe I should just keep the whole thing under wraps.
But I trusted God, I trusted my gut, and I trusted YOU—my readers. God would always be with me. And my gut told me that my readers would have my back. And you have.
So, from the bottom of my heart, I want to say a big THANK YOU to the folks who have been enjoying Field Station Delta. There’s more to come, but a great place to start is the Table of Contents. You can also learn more about how I came to write this novella in my official Author’s Note.
Field Station Delta: Author's Note
When I started writing Field Station Delta, I never planned for it to become a novella-length work. In fact, it began as a sequel to the short story “Operation White Phantom” which can be found in th…
Podcasts
Unfortunately, I had to step back from The Secrets of Star Wars this month because of my busy work schedule. (There was NO WAY that I could keep up with watching three episodes of Andor every week!) But I still managed to record several a few new episodes for SQPN.
Secrets of Middle-Earth
From Middle-earth maps to Smaug’s lair, artist Alix Murray joins our panel to unpack the genius of J.R.R. Tolkien’s art, its symbolism, and its deep ties to his stories. Discover hidden gems of Tolkien’s creative world!
From backyard battles to cinematic gems, I join Jeff Haecker to dissect three Tolkien fan films—highlighting heartfelt efforts, haunting blades, and heroic calls for aid. Featuring: Halifirien, Legend of Gurthang, and the excellent Horn of Gondor.
Secrets of Movies & TV Shows
What makes The Searchers one of the most iconic Westerns ever? I join the panel to unpack this classic John Ford film; its moral tension, visual power, and cultural legacy.
Power, peace, and poisoned earth—Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind sparks a deep conversation on ecology, war, and Miyazaki’s early genius. I join the panel to unpack this classic anime film’s lasting resonance.
Some final thoughts.
There’s much more that I could share from this busy month, but I don’t want to make this update post too long!
I know that many you are fellow writers and podcasters. I’d love to hear about what you’re working on! If you feel comfortable sharing, let me know in the comments below! Let’s get a conversation going!
Until next time, God bless and happy reading—and writing!