writings

professional

I hope to get some professional papers posted. In the meantime, you can find my past publications on the about me page. You can also find commentary on my blog.

fiction

Last year I participated for the first time in NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). It's a worldwide event where established and aspiring authors alike compete against themselves with the goal of writing a 50,000-word novel during the month of November. You can find me on NaNoWriMo as DerekBalsam (my nom de plume).

My current effort is a still-untitled Young Adult Fantasy novel about three brothers who must learn self-reliance when a shadowy enemy abducts their parents. Through conflicts with emperors, fearsome jeweled behemoths, and allies turned traitor, they discover inner strength and magical wonders. I completed the first 35,000 words of the novel during that month, and I'm working diligently on getting the first draft finished in early 2010.

poetry