Bulbous bio

In my fiction writing class this semester, we were assigned to create bios exactly 350 words long. The biggest challenge was to include everything I wanted while keeping the flow of the piece--every time I removed or added something, it became choppy or bulbous, like a list of bullet-point info.

It's been awhile since I've updated this blog, so I thought I'd post it. Hope you enjoy!

Luke A. Wildman is a writer, fantasy novelist, and all-around weirdo. He wants his writing to resemble glass—clear and sharp—but it’s usually more like vomit. See, Luke is a Christian, but believes the African god Mbombo created our world when he puked out the sun, moon, and stars. Then Mbombo’s three sons tidied the mess and finished the work of creation, like a troupe of devoted editors.

Luke is not the African god Mbombo—despite having never been photographed with him—but his writing is usually messy and requires obsessive editing before it’s reader-worthy. Luke and Mbombo have Africa in common: Luke was born in Liberia during a civil war and reared in Nigeria amidst terrorism and religious conflicts. He misses the Nigerian people and food. Oh, and his parents. Them too.

You probably shouldn’t trust his growing-up stories, which are muddled with scenes from Tolkien, Lewis, Baroness Orczy, Robert Jordan, Neil Gaiman, Patrick Rothfuss, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, James Herriot, and countless others. Please don’t ask for one favorite author—Luke has a love/hate relationship with that question—but he’d love to hear about some of yours. Why don’t you chat with him over drinks? In conversation, he’s socially awkward—but, frankly my dear, he no longer gives a damn.

Luke got to study in Yorkshire, U.K., during college, and brags about it frequently. That’s the same area where Dracula sucked Lucy’s blood and James Herriot tramped around the Dales as a veterinary surgeon. Luke has a terrible sense of direction, and wandered lost for hours through ruins and tangled alleyways in the ghost-gray rain. He adored every minute.

Looking for him now? He currently studies Professional Writing at Taylor University, in the cornfields of Indiana. Indiana sunsets are gorgeous, and the people here are warm and hardworking. You should visit.

You might enjoy Luke’s published works, which include short stories and more. In 2014 Brimstone Fiction gave his unpublished fantasy manuscript an Editor’s Choice Award. In 2015 he received first place in a student creative writing contest.

Feel free to peruse his poorly updated blog: lukelawwildman.blogspot.com.

Here is a picture of me and some friends pretending to be vikings in Valhalla. No real reason for it--I just like it.