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Retirement Draws Near!

The day after Easter Sunday, I’ll begin a new chapter of life as I retire after 30 years serving as pastor of the Heidlersburg/Mount Olivet Charge of the Church of the United Brethren in Christ. Serving these congregations has been one of the great privileges of my life. Retirement doesn’t mean slowing down — just shifting gears. My plans include: 1. Gradually moving from our home in Heidlersburg to Chambersburg. 2. Finishing the three novels that are so close to completion. (Retirement writing plan: finish three novels. Suspected obstacle: feline manuscript management.) 3. Starting a YouTube series that respectfully addresses common questions and objections about Christianity. 4. Taking some time to sort through my online connections, remembering old friends — especially those we lost during COVID — and letting go where needed. (That part will be bittersweet.) 5. Taming my massive library and reducing it by about 50% — likely with much weeping and wailing. 6. I’m also slowly rebuildin...
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Recent posts

New Release Upcoming

  Keep your eyes open for a new release from yours truly. A blend of SF and detective noir. Target is a February 28th release.
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Love in the Time of Chocolate

Last night at my writers' group, we were given a prompt and ten minutes to respond. As February 14th is Valentine's Day, we were told to write about something or someone sweet. For your flash fiction pleasure, here is what I came up with: Love in the Time of Chocolate by Alan Loewen ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Have you heard about the Gingerbread Man? How about something sweeter? My good friend Gus Polinski was a world-renowned chocolatier, a master of the sweeter arts. His craftsmanship was par excellence, and his little shop in the backwaters of Harrisburg thrived. His truffles, brownie bites, peanut butter swirl, salted caramel, chocolate-covered strawberries, pretzels, nuts, and mini tarts had pushed many a poor unfortunate into type 2 diabetes, much to the joy of the local endocrinologists. Less than a week ago, he came and urgently rapped on my front door. “Craig,” he said, blocking my front door. “I need your help. I’m being hunted down by assassins and enforcers from Hershey...
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My Japanese Name (Morikawa Tomonobu)

Fascinated by AI, I have been chatting with ChatGPT since its inception (Note: I do NOT use AI in any of my writing ... that's deception). I use it to search the web and compile news reports on topics that interest me, such as Biblical archaeology, artificial intelligence, and other subjects. I am also a confirmed Japanophile and someday hope to complete my novel, The Shrine War, a love letter to Japan. Anyway, as ChatGPT knows me well, having fed it my biography and Christian testimony, I asked it the following question: One aspect of my personality you may not know is that I am a sincere Japanophile. I love its culture, its history (including its negative history), its cuisine, and, though I am a dedicated Christian, I do have respect for Shinto, Japan's nature religion. If I were to adopt a Japanese name, knowing my history and interests, what would you recommend? Following the Japanese tradition of the surname (or family name) first, then the given name (called the first ...
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Doom, Gloom, and Drool

Doom, Gloom, and Drool or Bram Stoker Never Wrote This by Alan Loewen ALL RIGHTS RESERVED “The sun is setting.” My friend intoned while striking a dramatic pose. An author of dark fantasy romances with a body count, he had a long, bad habit of affecting garish pretensions. I groaned under my breath. “Yes,” I replied. “The sun is setting.” We continued our walk around the pond that graced his property as the crickets began their nightly vigil and the bullfrogs tuned up their nocturnal chorus. “The sun is setting,” he repeated. “You already said that,” I shot back. “Who cares?” “The sun is setting. The creatures of the night will be upon us soon.” “Oh, yes,” I answered with heavy sarcasm. “Katydids and bats. We’ll be feeding the mosquitoes soon. If you’re so wired up about it, we can go back to the house.” He paused for a moment. “The children of the night! What beautiful music they make!” “You two-bit hack!” I snapped back. “That line is from that old Dracula movie.” Suddenly, a huge fo...
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My Publishing History

From 1990 to the present day, I have enjoyed having a number of stories published and republished in several magazines and anthologies. This list does not include my own personal collections and children's novel published in all international Amazons. Many of these publications are still available through Amazon and can be found through your favorite search engine. Roseanne, Elvis, and Us appeared in the April 1990 issue of The United Brethren magazine.  Olin G. Alwood (1905-1921): Faithful and Wise Steward (pp 106-114), the eighth chapter of the book, United Brethren Bishops from 1889-1997: Volume One edited by Dr. Paul R. Fetters, copyright August, 1996.  The Substance of Things Hoped For published in PawPrints Fanzine: Summer, 1998  Canticle of the Wolf published in PawPrints Fanzine: Summer, 1999  Alice Remembers the White Knight (poem) published in Beauty For Ashes Poetry Review: Fall, 1999 Fox Hunt published in PawPrints Fanzine: Spring, 2000  Covent...
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My Inspiration For All My Writing

My inspiration for all my writing  
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