Short Fiction:
"Where I'm Writing From" Weekly column for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
"Hash Marks" Essays on football for Oxford American:
"Shop Talk" CrimeReads Column On Craft:
Press:
Journalism/Guest Columns:
"Athletic Support" (nationally-syndicated advice column)
"From the Pocket": 2018-19
- Labor Day - Arkansas Review - Print Only
- Long Shadows in the Almost Fall - Eclectica Magazine
- Morning Crew - Eclectica Magazine
- Don't Know Tough - short story, Greensboro Review (audio, Missouri Review)
- Mississippi Blue 42 - Shotgun Honey
- The Guru - Southwest Review
- Run Rebel Run - Mystery Tribune - Print Only
- Last Chance Power Drive - The Strand - Print Only
- Double Fly Rocket 87 - Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine - Print Only
- Accompanying essay: "The Mystery of Sports"
"Where I'm Writing From" Weekly column for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
- Where I'm Writing From: Intro
"Hash Marks" Essays on football for Oxford American:
"Shop Talk" CrimeReads Column On Craft:
- #1 - William Boyle
- #2 - Stephen Mack Jones
- #3 - Megan Abbott
- #4 - Ace Atkins
- #5 - Jordan Harper
- #6 - Steph Cha
- #7 - John Vercher
- #8 - S.A. Cosby
- #9 - Michael Koryta
- #10 - Rachel Howzell Hall
- #11 - Alex Segura
- #12 - Peter Swanson
- #13 - Laura Lippman
- #14 - David Heska Wanbli Weiden
- #15 - Eli Cranor
- #16 - Kellye Garrett
- #17 - David Joy
- #18 - Lisa Unger
- #19 - James Kestrel
Press:
- Writer Types - June 2021 (Podcast)
- Right Here, Write Now - Dog Ear Books, November 2021 (Podcast)
- Winding Road Stories - November, 2021 (Interview)
- Overtime (Interview)
- A Book For Every Reader Event (Video)
- Clearly We Don't Know Tough - The Big Thrill Magazine (Interview)
- Friday Night Darks - Kirkus Review
- Don't Know Tough - Publishers Weekly Review
- Leave It All - Reckon Review
- New York Times Review: Don't Know Tough
- USA Today Review: Don't Know Tough
- "The 7 best crime novels of the winter 2022:" LA Times
- "Best new books to read:" NY Post
- Writer's Bone: Eli Cranor (Podcast)
- Reviewing the evidence: Don't Know Tough
- Book Event: novel Memphis with Ace Atkins (video)
- April Mysteries Roundup (Don't Know Tough): The Fredricksburg Free Lance-Star
- Compelling, Revealing, Fierce and Agonizing: Don't Know Tough Review - Kingdom Books
- "Tough" book tackles sports in small town: Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
- "A novel that knows what football means in the South:" Southwest Review
- "Book Tip (Don't Know Tough): The Day
- Review of Don't Know Tough: Clarion Ledger
- Football, religion and violence merge in dark debut: Sun Sentinal
- Best Books of 2022 (so far): CrimeReads
Journalism/Guest Columns:
- 4/23/18: "Lessons Learned:" Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
- 5/7/18: "Talking Trump in middle America:" Galveston Daily News
- 6/4/18: "No going back: Trump will always be with us" Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
- 6/11/18: "Riding to work is like Dad's big ride" Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
- 9/3/18: "The Written Word" Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
- 9/21/18: "Call the Hogs, don't boo them" Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
- 10/12/18: "More Than Hogs" Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
- 10/22/18: "Net Benefits" Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
- 8/12/19: "Old South Staple" Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
"Athletic Support" (nationally-syndicated advice column)
- 6/23/19: "Athletic Support"
- 6/30/19: "My nephew is burning out"
- 7/7/19: "'Redshirting' my 9-year-old"
- 7/15/19: "Does my son need a private coach?"
- 7/21/19: "Locker room talk"
- 7/28/19: "Facebook football"
- 8/4/19: "Coaching from the stands"
- 8/11/19: "Idle hands"
- 8/18/19: "Coach's son gets special attention"
- 8/26/19: "Beat the heat"
- 9/1/19: "Hunting or football?"
- 9/8/19: "Time to switch teams?"
- 9/15/19: "Role player for a reason"
- 9/22/19: "Papa forced to coach"
- 9/29/19: "Too young for football?"
- 10/6/19: "Don't force sports"
- 10/13/19: "Is my son a butterfly chaser?"
- 10/20/19: "Scholarship hopes dead, now what?"
- 10/27/19: "Late bloomer, a blessing or a curse?"
- 11/3/19: "Sick and tired of losing"
- 11/10/19: "Withholding football as punishment"
- 11/17/19: "Fake scholarship signing?"
- 11/24/19: "No cellphones in the locker room!"
- 12/1/19: "Coach cancels post-season awards banquet"
- 12/8/19: "Do nice guys (and girls) really finish last?"
- 12/15/19: "Coach tells player not to shoot"
- 12/22/19: "Should a coach pray with his team?"
- 12/29/19: "A break from sports but not from school"
- 1/5/20: "What's that smell? It's not as bad as you think"
- 1/12/20: "Transferring to a smaller school: The good, the bad, and the ugly"
- 1/19/20: "Help! My daughter wants to play football"
- 1/26/20: "I need your help"
- 2/2/20: "Should my son take supplements?"
- 2/9/20: "Lack of respect for track"
- 2/16/20: "Whatever happened to going door to door?"
- 2/23/20: "At what age should sports stop being fun?"
- 3/1/20: "Talk to your grandkids, carefully"
- 3/8/20: "A parent's role when sports are over"
- 3/15/20: "Girlfriend getting in the way"
- 3/22/20: "Coronavirus? We've got games to play!"
- 3/29/20: "What if COVID19 cancels my son's senior season?"
- 4/5/20: "Staying in shape during a pandemic"
- 4/12/20: "Teddy bears and tessellations"
- 4/19/20: "Lost without sports"
- 4/26/20: "With sports gone, son's grades tanking"
- 5/3/20: "Will there be football in the fall?"
- 5/10/20: "What happens if player comes down with COVID19?"
- 5/17/20: "Coach missing after season is cancelled"
- 5/24/20: "Forcing kids to practice during pandemic"
- 5/31/20: "To wear a mask, that is the question"
- 6/7/20: "Silver lining for post-pandemic sports"
- 6/14/20: "Racial tensions rise as sports gear up again"
- 6/21/20: "Sick of COVID-19"
- 6/28/20: "Vulnerability key in uncertain times"
- 7/5/20: "Summertime Soreness"
- 7/12/20: "Sunburns not part of the game"
- 7/19/20: "No right answer"
- 7/26/20: "College Sports for fun or money?"
- 8/2/20: "Travel ball leads to constipation"
- 8/9/20: "Left behind"
- 8/16/20: "What to do if your season stalls"
- 8/23/20: "Football guidelines a breeze compared to band"
- 8/30/20: "Back to school woes"
- 9/6/20: "What you look for you will find"
- 9/13/20: "Shift to virtual learning causing lag in young athletes"
- 9/20/20: "College football cancelled, but my son's still playing"
- 9/27/20: "Daughter rolls ankle: Time to walk it off?"
- 10/4/20: "Can grandpa come to my game?"
- 10/11/20: "Can’t go to her games like I used to"
- 10/18/20: "ACL injuries on the rise in youth sports"
- 10/25/20: "High school hot seat?"
- 11/1/20: "Girls need fans, too"
- 11/8/20: "The game is over, let's shake hands"
- 11/15/20: "My son doesn't wear a jockstrap"
- 11/22/20: "Basketball and COVID doesn't jive
- 11/29/20: "Time to focus on one sport?
- 12/7/20: "Questionable coach promoted to AD"
- 12/14/20: "Parents who refuse to wear masks"
- 12/21/20: "Coach isn't coaching"
- 12/28/20: "Christmas Break?"
- 1/3/21: "Private Schools Have Upper Hand"
- 1/10/21: "Multi-Million Dollar Buyouts"
- 1/17/21: "7th Grade Girls Basketball Woes"
- 1/24/21: "Coach Makes Political Post"
- 1/31/21: "Redshirting My 9-year-old" (Republished)
- 2/7/21: "Fouls in Girls' Basketball"
- 2/14/21: "Pregame Music Offensive"
- 2/21/21: "Little Pitchers Have Big Ears"
- 2/28/21: "Esports Bigger Than Football?"
- 3/7/21: "Kids have changed, haven't they?"
- 3/14/21: "Freshmen don't make varsity, usually"
- 3/21/21: "Why are we playing all the small schools?"
- 3/28/21: "Overachieving daughter stinks at sports"
- 4/4/21: "Removal of mask requirement could cost us games"
- 4/11/21: "Wrestling in college, what's the point?"
- 4/18/21: "Trouble with a curve"
- 4/25/21: "How to take a hit"
- 5/2/21: "Teaching proper tackling"
- 5/9/21: "Should pro athletes talk politics?"
- 5/16/21: "QB lacks speed"
- 5/23/21: "What if we can't afford speed camps?"
- 5/30/21: "Summer schedule way too serious"
- 6/6/21: "Are team sports a vital part of childhood?"
- 6/13/21: "Are athletes getting better with age?"
- 6/20/21: "Softball games going past midnight"
- 6/27/21: "Practices running late causing problems"
- 7/4/21: "Summer School Blues"
- 7/11/21: "Working out over the dead weeks"
- 7/18/21: "Championship rings and multiple sweatbands—too much?"
- 7/25/21: "Coach's pregame speech too crazy for kids"
- 8/1/21: "Youth sports like a cult"
- 8/8/21: "Coach pushing vaccine on players"
- 8/15/21: "Facebook ads and too many practices"
- 8/22/21: "Fit more important than price when it comes to cleats"
- 8/29/21: "Laundry Stinks"
- 9/5/21: "Inhalers and bibbers; it's football season, y'all!"
- 9/12/21: "Hunting or football?"
- 9/19/21: "Foul language on the sideline"
- 9/26/21: "Auditions getting in the way of volleyball"
- 10/3/21: "Housekeeper can't make game"
- 10/10/21: "Son wants to join team midway through season"
- 10/17/21: "No bad faces in basketball"
- 10/24/21: "When can a kid begin football?"
- 10/31/21: "I wish my son practiced less"
- 11/7/21: "Hoping my son quits"
- 11/14/21: "Not enough help with Booster Club"
- 11/21/21: "Volunteering no fun"
- 11/28/21: "Naysayers bringing me down"
"From the Pocket": 2018-19
- 2/25/18: "From the Pocket"
- 3/4/18: "Could football stop the next school shooting?
- Also published over at THE GOOD MEN PROJECT
- 3/11/18: "First-Time Fan"
- 3/18/18: "Kind of Like Fight Club"
- Also published over at THE GOOD MEN PROJECT
- 3/26/18: "Old Bull"
- 4/1/18: "Easters on the Buffalo"
- 4/8/18: "Swedish football taught me to unplug"
- 4/15/18: "A masterclass in grit, Thanks, Tony Finau"
- 4/22/18: "Coach Trump"
- 4/29/18: "Drafting a quarterback is like picking a pony: I like 'em gritty"
- 5/6/18: "When the dogwood leaves are as big as squirrel's ears..."
- 5/13/18: "A Mother's Day card"
- 5/20/18: "The necessary violence of sport, life"
- 5/27/18: "How to get what you want"
- 6/3/18: "Summertime and the livin' is easy: Or is it?"
- 6/10/18: "Is the glory of winning worth the pain of defeat?"
- 6/17/18: "Few changes from Coach to Dad"
- 6/24/18: "A bike ride across the country"
- 7/1/18: "It was just a foul ball: Forget it"
- 7/8/18: "Crooked Creek: Arkansas's best kept secret"
- 7/15/18: "Nice guys finish last: Fact or fiction in sports, politics, and life"
- 7/22/18: "Summer Vacation: Footprints in the sand"
- 7/29/18: "Fridge wasn't made to run, but he did"
- 8/5/18: "Football: Closest to a Battlefield"
- 8/12/18: "An Introduction to 'Fractured Faith"
- 8/19/18: "Fractured Faith: Landon Leach"
- 8/26/18: "Fractured Faith: Ty Towers, Part I"
- 9/2/18 "Fractured Faith: Ty Towers, Part II"
- 9/9/18: "Fractured Faith: Supe"
- 9/16/18: "Fractured Faith: Sweden"
- 9/23/18: "Fractured Faith: J.R. Eldridge"
- 9/30/18: "Fractured Faith: Amen"
- 10/8/18: "Homecoming"
- 10/14/18: "The Greatest Game Ever"
- 10/21/18: "Arkansas's Storey Has True Grit"
- 10/28/18: "Just Keep Playing"
- 11/4/18: "Susie Whorton: Frozen in Time"
- 11/11/18: "Americans, We're on the same team"
- 11/18/18: "Each Leaf Falls Just Once"
- 11/25/18: "What Matters During the Holiday Season"
- 12/2/18: "Digging in Deep with the 2-10 Hogs"
- 12/9/18: "Robyn's T-Shirt Scandal"
- 12/16/18: "Be Careful When Criticizing Athletes"
- 12/23/18: "Don't Talk Trump During the Holidays"
- 12/30/18: "Best Readers' Responses of 2018"
- 1/6/19: "College Football's 'Best' Kept Secret: The Bag Man
- 1/13/19: "My Best Year"
- 1/20/19: "Choosing Teams: Is there even a choice?"
- 1/27/19: "Everything happens for a reason, right?"
- 2/3/19: "Six(ish) thoughts on the Super Bowl"
- 2/10/19: "It All Adds Up"
- 2/17/19: "The Story of the Wall"
- 2/24/19: "3 Good Things About Trump"
- 3/3/19: "Can't Win For Losing"
- 3/10/19: "A Heart Beat's Rhythm"
- 3/17/19: "Spring Break: A time for reflection"
- 3/24/19: "Chop Wood. Carry Water."
- 3/31/19: "Thug Nasty"
- 4/7/19: "So Much"
- 4/14/19: "Blow Up Your TV"
- 4/21/19: "Power in Paper"
- 4/28/19: "Effort and Respect"
- 5/5/19: "Margaritaville"
- 5/12/19: "My Biggest Fan"
- 5/19/19: "Two Pops at the Races"
- 5/26/19: "Floatin'"
- 6/2/19: "For the Love of Dogs"
- 6/9/19: "Playing It Cool"
- 6/16/19: "I Am Theirs"