Poetry, Book Deals, and Podcasts

Poetry News

Celebrating Poetry in January: Light Reflections & To Speak

As I begin a new year of storytelling, I’m taking time this January to celebrate poetry—both a book that has been quietly companioning readers for some time, and a new collection that has been growing in my heart for years.

The second edition of Light Reflections is already out in the world. This collection gathers poems shaped by faith, gratitude, grief, wonder, and small moments of grace. The new edition offers a refreshed presentation while staying true to the heart of the book: reflections written in seasons of stillness and searching, meant to be read slowly, returned to often, and held gently. These poems are less about perfection and more about presence—about noticing light where it breaks through the ordinary.

Later this month, I’ll be releasing a brand-new poetry collection: To Speak: Poems of Inspired Courage. This book leans into voice—finding it, reclaiming it, and daring to use it even when it trembles. These poems explore courage not as bravado, but as faith in motion: the courage to speak truth, to offer prayer, to name fear, to praise, to lament, and to hope anyway.

January feels like the right time to honor these books. Poetry has always been part of my creative life, even when it lived quietly alongside novels and essays. This month, I’m letting it step forward—celebrating words shaped by reflection, faith, and the brave act of speaking.

For Readers

To kick off 2026 with some fresh reading opportunities, I’m excited to share two special BookFunnel promos you won’t want to miss. These aren’t tied to the poetry collections I’ll be celebrating this month — they’re genre-focused book promos featuring a range of speculative, sci-fi, and adventurous reads from talented indie authors.

✨ Speculative Fiction Picks
Dive into a curated selection of speculative fiction — from thought-provoking short stories to imaginative worlds across genres. There’s something for every reader who loves unexpected twists and bold ideas. Grab your next favorite story here: https://books.bookfunnel.com/speculative_fiction_10/b2vwqr13v1 BookFunnel

⚔️ Christian Fiction: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi, Fantasy!
This promo brings together a mix of inspirational genre reads — perfect if you like your stories with heart, courage, and a sense of wonder. Explore the lineup and find your next adventure here: https://books.bookfunnel.com/tripp202601/ak7pfh5tl3 BookFunnel

Each of these promos showcases free (or deeply discounted) books via BookFunnel, where you can browse covers, descriptions, and download directly to your device. BookFunnel promos like these are great ways to discover new authors and stack up your TBR list!

Stay tuned this month for more updates — including my upcoming poetry features, new releases, and special behind-the-scenes peeks at what I’m reading and writing next.

Writing in the Pacific Northwest with Susanne Bacon AND Merry Christmas!

 There’s a particular kind of hush that settles over the Pacific Northwest in winter—the gray sky, the damp air, the evergreen edges of everything. It can feel cozy… and it can also feel heavy. This year especially, with storms and flooding affecting so many, I’ve found myself holding joy more gently—grateful for what I have while praying for those who are facing loss and disruption.

That’s part of why I love Christmas Eve worship so deeply. Every year, one of my most meaningful traditions is singing carols in a sanctuary full of voices—and then, when the lights dim, singing “Silent Night” by candlelight. It’s such a simple moment, but it grounds me in truth: God’s light shines in the darkness. Jesus is the Light of the World—our Emmanuel, God with us.

In today’s podcast episode of The Truth About Storytelling, I’m joined by Susanne Bacon, author of the Wycliffe novels—stories that capture the texture of the South Puget Sound with a vivid sense of place. Susanne builds a fictional town readers can picture clearly: the waterfront and ferry terminal, an uptown and downtown divided by a steep cliff, the islands and Olympic Mountains on the horizon, and the shifting smells of tide and season.

What we talk about in this episode

• How “local flavor” builds reader immersion
  Susanne shares how she weaves recognizable locations and regional details into her stories—places like Tacoma, Lakewood, Seattle, Hood Canal, and more—so readers feel like Wycliffe could be just around the bend.

• Journalism, observation, and character conflict
  With a background in journalism, Susanne talks about being an “outsider-observer,” listening to people’s stories, and how those real human complexities shape fiction (without ever being one-to-one).

• Landmarks as living metaphor (hello, lighthouse!)
  We dig into the way a landmark can become more than scenery—like the lighthouse in Last Light, which turns into a community pivot point and a symbol of hope, rescue, and faith.

• Weather and seasonal rituals as story engines
  Storms, floods, gray skies, comfort food, and holiday gatherings—Susanne explains how weather and seasonal rhythms can heighten emotion and reveal character.

• Staying consistent across a long series
  Susanne shares her practical approach: lists, character notes, and timelines—especially when you’re juggling a town full of recurring people and businesses.

Find Susanne Bacon online HERE.

Find the episode HERE.

Merry Christmas!!!

Seven Writing Prompts Inspired by Damien Larkin's Approach to Worldbuilding

 Writing Worlds That Feel Real

Seven Writing Prompts Inspired by Damien Larkin’s Approach to Worldbuilding

As this post goes out during the week of Christmas, I’ve been thinking about Immanuel—God with us—and how that truth meets us not only in rest and celebration, but in the work of our hands.

Every season looks different. Every year reshapes us. And yet, hope remains present—working quietly in and through what we’re creating, even when we don’t fully see it yet.

One verse that’s been anchoring me this week is Romans 15:13:

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

That sense of hope—present, active, unfolding—connects deeply with the way Damien Larkin approaches storytelling. In our conversation, Damien talked about letting worlds grow organically, layering meaning over time, and trusting that realism and depth emerge through lived experience rather than rigid planning.

The following prompts are inspired by that philosophy. They’re designed to help fiction writers build worlds that feel inhabited rather than constructed.

Choose one. Write for ten to fifteen minutes. Let the world surprise you.

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✍️ Fiction Prompt 1: The World Carries Its Scars

Prompt:
Your character enters a place shaped by a conflict that ended long before they were born. No one explains the history outright—but signs of it are everywhere.

• What physical damage still exists?

• What customs, fears, or unspoken rules came from that past conflict?

• How does your character misunderstand this place at first?

Let what remains tell the story.

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✍️ Fiction Prompt 2: Terrain Is Not Neutral

Prompt:
Place your character in a landscape that actively resists them—desert, forest, frozen ground, ruined city, or sea.

• What does the terrain demand physically?

• What does it demand emotionally?

• What small detail reveals whether your character belongs here—or doesn’t?

Write the setting as a quiet antagonist.

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✍️ Fiction Prompt 3: A Society Built for War

Prompt:
Imagine a culture shaped by centuries of expansion, invasion, or survival.

• How does this history affect daily life?

• What does a child learn early that others might not?

• What happens when someone in this society doesn’t want to fight?

Focus on an ordinary moment that reveals extraordinary cost.

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✍️ Fiction Prompt 4: Darkness With Purpose

Prompt:
Write a dark or violent moment that serves a clear thematic purpose.

• What truth does this moment reveal?

• Who is changed by it—and how?

• What would be lost if this scene were softened or removed?

Let darkness illuminate meaning, not overshadow it.

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✍️ Fiction Prompt 5: Worldbuilding by Omission

Prompt:
Write a scene where something important is deliberately not explained.

• What does the character already know that the reader doesn’t?

• What background detail is hinted at but never clarified?

• How does restraint deepen the world?

Trust the reader to lean in.

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🌿 Writer’s Reflection Prompt 6: Letting the World Grow

(Ideal for journaling or a quiet podcast pause.)

Reflection:
Think about the story or world you’re currently working on.

• Where are you trying to control it too tightly?

• What might happen if you allowed it to grow draft by draft?

• What experiences or histories are shaping it beneath the surface?

Write a paragraph beginning with:
“If I trusted this world more, I would…”

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✨ Reflection Prompt 7: Immanuel in the Story

(This is the Christmas-light addition — gentle, optional, and deep.)

Reflection:
Immanuel means God with us—present, not distant.

Consider your current work-in-progress:

• Where is presence felt more than explained?

• Where does hope appear quietly rather than triumphantly?

• How might light exist in your world—not as an answer, but as endurance, companionship, or mercy?

Write a short reflection or scene beginning with:
“Even here, we were not alone…”

Let this be about presence, not resolution.

Listen to the Damien Larkin Interview

Find Damien Larkin's Books

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Closing Encouragement

Worlds don’t need to be fully mapped to be meaningful. Sometimes the most honest stories are the ones that allow space for mystery, growth, and hope—both on the page and in ourselves.

As you write this season, may you be filled with peace, steadied by hope, and reminded that the work you’re doing matters—often more than you can see in the moment.

Podcast Notes: Writing Gritty Worlds One Layer at a Time with Damien Larkin

 

Writing Gritty Worlds One Layer at a Time

A Conversation with Damien Larkin

In today's episode of The Truth About Storytelling, I’m joined by author Damien Larkin for a wide-ranging conversation about realism, military-influenced worldbuilding, and letting stories grow organically.

Damien describes himself as a pantser, someone who discovers the story by writing it—and compares his drafting process to assembling Frankenstein’s monster, layering history, culture, and conflict over time rather than locking everything down too early.

We talk about how his military background influences the way he writes terrain, equipment, and strategy, and why authenticity matters, especially for veteran readers who recognize when details ring true. Damien also shares how darker scenes can be emotionally surprising to write, and how storytelling itself can be a form of processing lived experience.

From dinosaurs instead of dragons to societies shaped by centuries of warfare, this episode is packed with insight for writers who want their worlds to feel dangerous, grounded, and real.

🎧 Listen to the episode
📚 Explore Damien’s books

Creative Pathways: Stories, Poems, and Finding Your Voice

Creative Pathways: Stories, Poems, and Finding Your Voice

Creativity rarely travels in a straight line.

Sometimes it arrives through a story told chapter by chapter.
Sometimes through a quiet poem that gives us permission to speak.
Sometimes through discovering new voices—new worlds—at exactly the right moment.

This winter, I’m inviting readers and writers into several creative pathways that connect story, imagination, and courage.

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Fridays on the Podcast: Dark Blade Forged (Fiction Readings)

Every Friday on the podcast, I’m sharing fiction readings from Dark Blade Forged—the opening novel of The Dark Blade Trilogy.

These readings are a chance to:

• Step into an epic fantasy world of faith, doubt, justice, and choice

• Experience the story in a slower, more reflective way

• Listen as scenes unfold aloud—sometimes revealing emotional layers that land differently in audio

Whether you’re already familiar with Dan Torren’s journey or discovering the Dark Blade for the first time, please come and join. 

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January Release: To Speak — Poems of Inspired Courage

In January, I’m releasing a new poetry collection:
To Speak: Poems of Inspired Courage

This book grew out of seasons where my voice felt more like embers than flame—quiet, uncertain, but still alive.

To Speak explores:

• Creativity and calling

• Courage in imperfect expression

• Faith, doubt, and grace

• The slow reclaiming of voice

While Dark Blade Forged explores courage through story and action, To Speak approaches it through reflection and prayerful honesty. Different forms. The same heart.

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🚀 Discover New Stories: Sci-Fi & Fantasy Short Reads (On Sale)

Alongside my own projects, I also love helping readers discover new speculative fiction voices—including revisiting shorter works that explore big ideas in compact form.

Right now, I’m part of a science fiction & fantasy short fiction sale—a curated collection of stories and novellas from multiple authors, available at a special price:

👉 Explore the collection here:
https://books.bookfunnel.com/scififanshorts/nmzn2pjhb0

This sale also includes my science fiction novella Liftoff, a story that explores:

• First contact and human resilience

• Fear, hope, and the cost of courage

• Ordinary people facing extraordinary choices

Short fiction and novellas are powerful creative pathways:

• Bite-sized worlds

• Focused emotional arcs

• Perfect for busy readers or creative refueling

If you enjoy sampling new authors—or stepping into a complete sci-fi story in one sitting—this collection is a wonderful place to explore.

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🌱 One Creative Thread

At first glance, these might look like separate things:

• A fantasy novel read aloud

• A poetry collection releasing soon

• A sci-fi & fantasy short fiction sale

But at their core, they’re connected by the same invitation:

To step into creativity.
To listen.
To speak.
To imagine.

Whether you’re listening to a chapter on Friday, reading a poem in January, or discovering Liftoff or another new short story today, I hope these pathways encourage you—both as a reader and as a creative soul.

Thank you for walking them with me.