S. Kirk Pierzchala's Blog, page 3

Paperback version now live!

The paperback version of "Powers and Principalities" is now available! You can purchase from Amazon, or if you are in the greater Portland/Vancouver area, directly from the Queen of Peace Christian Bookstore in Vancouver, (in the store, not on the website), or from me at the St. Nicholas Market at Holy Rosary Church (Nov. 18 - 19). I'll be happy to sign them!

To whet your interest, here's the first review the collection has received:

Since the reviewer read a digital version, they neglect to mention that the paperback version makes a pretty cool stocking stuffer for teen (and up) readers...but trust me, it does!

As the end of the year draws close...

...we will see more "Best of 2023"-themed lists! My friends at Book Shepherd have invited authors to list their three favorite reads of the year, and while it was tough to narrow it down, I did nominate three special titles!

Follow the link below to see what I chose, and while you're there, look around the site to see what you think of it (it's an alternative to Goodreads for helping readers connect with good books).

My 2023 picks here.

Check Your Mirrors

Some thoughts on appearances vs. reality that originally appeared in 2014 on the blog Beauty In Belief

The other evening I was killing time viewing some music videos on youtube (actually, it was in aid of my daughter's assignment from her voice teacher---really!) I watched several, marveling at the musicality of the performers and the creativity of the art directors. The singers and performers were generally young, hip, stylish and attractive and I found myself, without thinking, wondering about their lifestyles and ideologies. And although I have little or no interest in celebrity gossip, I am generally one to judge books by their covers, so naturally I found myself assuming that these young women were probably promiscuous and pro-choice atheists. On a gut level, I felt that if I were to find myself in conversation with them, they'd be antagonistic towards me, my politics and my religion. I felt uncomfortable and defensive, until I realized what I was doing.

Labeling. Criticizing. Judging. Condemning, even. It was a total reflexive reaction, based on nothing other than the fact they were performing music that wasn't overtly religious. Or maybe because of how they were dressed? But since I have no problem listening to secular pop music and am somewhat bohemian in my own fashion sense, this reaction hardly made sense. And yet there it was, that weird little voice in my ear whispering: That girl's probably a slut. Or uses drugs. She's obviously not a good little Catholic like you....!

After I came to my senses, it got me thinking: How do I appear to other people? How do they judge me? Is there anything about my demeanor or general attitude that is a stumbling block to people who might otherwise want to come a bit closer and ask honest questions about how I live my life or what I believe? Conversely, what can I do to be a more attractive ambassador of God's message without compromising my own sense of integrity? I ask these things in all sincerity because I honestly have no idea when or if I am giving offense or sending a confusing message. Oh, sure I let it "all hang out" on social media---anyone who's "friended" me there knows where I stand on just about any issue---but I'm more concerned about my day-to-day personal interactions.

I'm sure we're all aware that much virtual ink is continually spilled and many heated conversations have taken place on the subject of modest dress---pants vs. skirts, chapel veils vs. uncovered hair, sleeves vs. elbows---you know the arguments, the scripture quotes, the recommended tape measured lengths. This post is not about to disappear down that rabbit hole of controversy but will instead go in a different direction entirely. I'll begin with a little anecdote from the mists of time---i.e., the early 1990's.

True story: In my university days, I manned a pro-life literature table in the park blocks on campus of Portland State University. One day I was confronted by an acquaintance from the Art Department who was stunned, almost speechless, to find that I was pro-life. "But----but----but the way you DRESS," she kept spluttering. Who knew that paint-covered, torn jeans and my brother's cast-off military jacket were the official uniform of baby-killers worldwide? Although I dressed as I did due to practicality and not from a desire to deceive, I realized that our subsequent respectful conversations on life issues and women's rights would never had happened if I had gone through my classes dressed in a denim jumper, head scarf and a rosary at my waist. Oh, I'm sure there would have been conversations, but they might not have been so cordial. And of course implicit in her reaction was the unspoken assumption that an ART STUDENT, being a citizen of the whole free-thinking, free-lovin', bohemian, counterculture, would OF COURSE be pro-choice. Talk about judging a book by its cover!

And conversely, how many of us have been pleasantly surprised to find that the tattooed and pierced teen waiting on us is actually quite sweet and well-spoken? Tattoos aren't cheap and a lot of thought goes into choosing them, so a few questions about body art can often lead to surprisingly deep conversations about the symbols that are important to some folks. The fact is that today's society is so tribalized and fractured, that folks wear or hide behind so many masks or layers of clothing and color that become like protective coloring, that outer appearance isn't always a reliable guide. We need to remind ourselves to look at individuals as complex and deep entities, not just units representing their particular group.

It's of course heartening to see priests and nuns dressing as recognizable religious ambassadors, and while it's assumed that intelligent and responsible Catholic lay women shouldn't embrace the overtly crass and revealing styles, it's still ultimately up to us to decide how we appear to the world. There are no magic formulas as to how we can appear at our best before society. There are stereotypes----ours of "them" and theirs of "us"---and there are personal preferences, body types and budgets.

(c) 2023 S. Kirk Pierzchala

Cover reveal for my latest book!

Yes, I designed this myself with some AI elements.

Drum, roll, please...it's almost here...

...my collection of short fiction will be available in ebook format (both on this site and the usual bookselling platforms) on Sunday, October 1st! The physical version should be ready soon after.

There's a dose of humor in the political satire, some horror/paranormal, and some religious allegorical fables.

I hope you'll find all of them entertaining and thought provoking!

Of the sixteen stories, seven previously appeared on this blog, two were published in the inaugural issue of "Silence & Starsong" magazine and six are brand-new!

End Game: A woman's desperate warnings of impending disaster are ignored, until she speaks the ultimate words of power.

Experts Agree: During an endless pandemic, the authorities will always know what's best, even if it makes no sense.

When Fall the Scales: A dutiful citizen is grateful to receive an implant that promises relief from her dystopian existence.

Resolution of Impossible Goals: A cynical doctor discovers how to cash in on one of the most twisted trends in modern society.

The Shield: A vulnerable, homeless teen is saved by an unexpected handout.

Hounded: He can run, but can't hide, from something that's been pursuing him all his life.

Leaving Home: Some journeys get cut short, but are still worth taking.

Free Lunch: A young girl confronts an ancient evil seeking to enslave her family. Is her book-learning enough to save them?

Olivia's Beach: A child escapes unimaginable horror, but will lingering darkness contaminate her safe haven?

Mother's Love: When Aubrey contends with a supernatural force for the life of her newborn, she and her child must live with the consequences.

Chiron Awakes: When a clever scientist creates a fabulous entity, will his dreams of fame be destroyed as he battles for the creature's loyalty?

Powers and Principalities: On his first day in office, the new American President learns some mind-bending truths about his duties. Is he strong enough to stand up to the true powers behind the throne?

The Dark Beyond: A young man leaves his brutal and primitive village to seek answers to life's most disturbing questions.

Pareidolia: A young boy is relieved to learn that the faces haunting him in patterns are just a trick of his mind...probably.

The Secret of Phelim Darke: A suave womanizer realizes his latest conquest has some secrets of her own.

Ruin of Souls: The last living human has no power to resist the relentless enemy who has plagued mankind forever. Are there any heroes left at the farthest reaches of the universe?

This Crazy Quilt Life

,Hey, All: This originally appeared in the blog Beauty In Belief way back in 2014! Some things in my life have changed since I wrote this, but overall, not that much (my kids make different kinds of messes now). In any case, the sentiment I'm attempting to express is universal to all times and circumstances, so if you missed this nine years ago, now's your chance to catch up!

If I'm lucky, (and really energetic and well-organized), I might get my indoor trim painted and the walls touched up before Thanksgiving. Notice I wrote "if", because it's a tall order to get an old house Martha Stewart-party-ready while you're still living in it, along with a bunch of people who look at you like you're from Mars if you suggest that they not casually smear jam all over the walls as they pass through the rooms. And what with homeschooling, shopping, shuttling folks to lessons and ortho appointments AND trying to keep up with the most basic of cleaning and cooking (you'd be surprised how often that last item catches me off-guard: "What do you mean---what's for dinner? Didn't we have dinner yesterday?"), there is never a time when all of the tasks are finished more or less at the same time.

We've all been there: Experiencing a moment of relief and satisfaction as we finish cleaning and organizing one room in the house---perhaps even just one corner of one room---then stepping back to admire our handiwork. Then we take a few more steps back and see all the grimy woodwork, dinged walls, dust bunnies and piles of unprocessed laundry that make up the other three corners, and we feel incompetent and discouraged. Possibly due to repeated viewings, I'm often reminded of Flynn's words from the opening sequence of Disney's Tangled: "For a moment, everything was perfect. Then that moment ended".

It seems our moments of perfection are so fleeting that we often don't even see them, we're too focused on tweaking and comparisons. Maybe we had always pictured our adult life as being a sort of tableau where our kids, arrested at their ideal age, gather around a perfectly prepared meal in a show-room dining space, not spilling anything or squabbling with each other over yesterday's stale potato chips. Maybe deep down we think there's something wrong with us because nothing stays clean or calm for very long. When the realization slowly dawns on some of us that life is actually meant to be an ever-shifting series of (often unfortunate) events containing only small flecks of perfection, that there are many smooth passages of unexpected beauty and insights in even the dullest or most frenetic days, it can still take us awhile to re-set our expectations. We want to be lovely and whole, RIGHT NOW but instead find ourselves becoming strange patchwork creatures, shuffling and complaining our way through our whirlwind days.

And our inner lives mirror our outer lives, don't they? We identify and start uprooting one bad habit, and while we're focused on improving in one area, a half a dozen other problems quietly put down roots and start to grow. And again we experience discouragement. But in reality, it's our assumption of what it means to "be perfect" that's causing so much strife. It would seem that our whole view of the order of things is upside down, and the reason we are so frustrated and disheartened is because we forget that it is through the struggle, in the small daily victories, that we gain strength, humility and gratitude. Think about it: If we could instantly get whatever outcomes we asked for---ideal body weight, perpetually clean house, serene temper---would we really appreciate those things or we just eventually take them for granted and begin to stagnate?

Victories we achieve through blood, sweat and tears are much more valuable and lasting. Those are the lessons that really sink in and have a lasting effect, that add another gleaming gem of true wisdom to our precious little hoards. If the "perfect moment" in the cartoon had never ended, there would have been no drama, no strife, danger, bravery or growth. No story. Those are the things we're supposed to be experiencing here and now, not some idealized, motionless, soul-less glossy magazine image.

So with our collection of moments-- good, bad and even ugly--we assemble a big, sprawling, out-of-control crazy quilt, with strange bits and pieces being added with seeming randomness. And yet in the end, God-willing, we'll have created a dazzling, unique thing of lasting beauty.

Our individual, one-of-a-kind, precious, and very human--- lives.

( c) 2023 S.Kirk Pierzchala

The Transgender Trap

My essay on transgender issues was recently published in Catholic World Report. It's a long piece, and very disturbing, but I believe it's worth your time. Read it here:

A review of "Blood Meridian" or "WTF Did I Just Read?"

Since I don't possess a degree in literature, some might think I'm not qualified to offer an in-depth or scholarly critique of this work. But I'm reasonably alert and enjoy offering unsolicited opinions, so I'll have at it anyway.

While I don't advocate throwing books across the room when they disappoint or displease, I will state that I came the closest to doing that while reading this than I ever have. To back up a bit: I had never read anything by Cormac McCarthy before, and had only recently watched "No Country for Old Men". I heard nothing but complaints from family members about "The Road", so I knew I was taking a chance when I purchased a copy of "Blood Meridian", which I happened to do a month or two before the author's death.

Furthermore, I'd also read some analysis from people who cite McCarthy's Catholic upbringing as being influential to the themes in his works and while "Blood Meridian" definitely treats on the themes of evil, I didn't see much much Catholic viewpoint presented here, but maybe his work evolved after he wrote this one.

Set primarily in the 1850s Texas, the story is apparently loosely based on events recorded in an actual journal, similar to how "Moby Dick" was inspired by the tragedy of the whaler, The Essex. It's difficult to discuss the plot of "Blood Meridian", as it basically has none. Opening and concluding with the character of The Kid, its meandering, episodic structure serves as a backdrop for The Kid and a cast of equally empty, repellent figures as they stumble and lurch through an unforgivingly harsh environment. They commit--or are on the receiving end of--one revolting atrocity after another, almost to the point of parody. I get that life is tough, but the reader is given no relief. The closest thing to a glimmer of kindness is when a minor female character rescues an abused mentally retarded man. But of course, his plight is not really remedied, as he's almost at once taken captive the demonic figure of the Judge (one of the more memorable villains in fiction).

I can't honestly say this novel is about good and evil, because there is no good. The closest thing to a break from the evil is kind of an inverse from what people normally think when it's "always darkest before dawn". In this story, whenever dawn comes, the sun is invariably described as some sort of bloody entity overlooking that day's parade of hopeless viciousness and mindless suffering. It brings no true light to the face of the Earth or its inhabitants.

As these episodes crawl towards a climax, they eventually take on a more mystical significance. The character of Tobin the ex-priest eventually seems to recognize the Judge for some kind of demonic spirit of violence, and he constructs a cross from animal bones in an attempt to perform a crude exorcism. He also tries to convince the Kid to shoot the Judge when he has the chance. The Kid's reluctance to take a life when it's not in a combat situation seems to be the closest thing to virtue he displays.

I say "seems" because we get so little insight into the characters' motivations and personalities, that it's really hard to come to a conclusion about them. As far as I'm concerned, they are beautifully sketched but ultimately cardboard cutouts, each one standing in for perhaps greed or lust or selfishness, but there's never anything good in them.There are no virtues to counteract either their own vices, or the sheer evil of the Judge.

Thus any sense of mysticism is strained through a nightmarish, hallucinatory fever-dream of debauchery and pointless despair. The bleak vision of the human condition depicted in "Blood Meridian" reminded me of David Lindsay's "A Voyage to Arcturus". In both works, masterful writing is put to the service of an ultimately nihilistic view of reality.

All that being said, I can't say I regret reading it. The artistry is breathtaking. McCarthy breaks nearly every writing rule I can think of: there's no punctuation in the dialogue, tenses shift, perspective hops between characters from paragraph to paragraph. It's often unclear where they're going and what they're doing, or what their motivations are.

However, it all it works, and it works beautifully. None of these "broken rules" are in any way a flaw; rather, they contribute to the overall experience of the prose. The prose is magnificent, and the desert Southwest itself is the most vividly realized of all of the characters.

While McCarthy does not look for beauty in men's hearts, he finds it in the darkness, in the merciless inevitability of hardship and death. Of course, this is a very dry and bitter sort of beauty and the result seems empty. I was not given any more insight about the human experience than I had before. With all his talent, he ends up saying very little about the nature of evil and sin that each of us doesn't already know from our own experiences. But since he also says nothing about hope or grace or salvation, the work is ultimately a dishonest, shallow picture of life.

Read it at your own risk.

Got Some Time To Kill?

I was recently interviewed by Kevin Hughes of Freed Indeed Ministries about how my fiction is influenced and informed by my Christian faith!

It was a delightful conversation, so if you've been dying to know more about me and my creative journey, here's your big chance!

(and while you're there, subscribe to Kevin's channel! He does excellent long-form dives into important cultural and theological topics)!

Eagle Scout Project!

For his Eagle Scout project, my son is assembling wound-care kits for Portland's homeless and is seeking donations to cover supplies.

Anyone who has been following the situation in the city knows that untreated wounds are a huge issue for the addicts living in filthy conditions, so this is a really worthwhile project.

Please follow the link, consider donating, and share widely!

Thank you!

https://www.gofundme.com/f/wound-care-kits-for-the-homeless?utm_campaign=p_lico+share-sheet&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_source=customer

A Major Award!

My novel, Solitude Of Light, was recently awarded 3rd place in the Self-published Fiction category of the 2023 Catholic Book Awards!

To celebrate, I'm sharing a playlist of some of the songs that I listened to as I created this novel.

Music is a hugely important part of my creative process. It's not just something that relaxes---or energizes---me as I create. Music and songs invariably strike deep into my emotions and bring forth responses from my heart in ways no other art form can.

I believe what I listen to while I create has an impact on the results, hopefully for the best. Not being a musician myself, I love that I can nonetheless collaborate with other artists in a completely different discipline by making music a part of my writing routine. Sometimes, it’s as simple as having soothing ambient melodies playing while I concentrate. But while venturing deeper into the Beyond Cascadia series, I found certain songs resonated with me as being connected to particular characters; at least, a few lyrics here and there helped capture a fleeting sense of a particular mindset, or a subtle emotional shading. So the works I'm sharing here aren’t necessarily spot-on theme songs, but rather little glimpses into particular feelings I wanted to convey, perhaps just in one scene, or perhaps over the course of the characters' entire development.

So here are the links to some of the songs that inspired me while creating this installment of the Chen brothers' saga.

Viva La Vida—Coldplay

Cold Little Heart—Michael Kiwanuka

Master of Souls—Stive Morgan

The Four Seasons: Winter—Vivaldi

Everything I Own—Bread

The Dark Side---Muse

I Will Follow You Into The Dark—-Death Cab for Cutie

If It Be Your Will—Leonard Cohen

Adagio for Strings----Barber

City of the Dead—Eurielle

Bonus track (this last song is a new release, but when I heard it, it reminded me so much of Francisco, that I had to add it to the playlist:

Daylight---David Kushner