About CJ McKinney
Stories weave an ancient magic. In words and images, they help us understand the world, put a face on hard facts, and take us to places we’ve never imagined.
The storyteller has always held a special place — a bringer of news from far away, a spinner of dreams and nightmares, a speaker of truths from other realms.
I’m one of those tale spinners and dreamcrafters. I tell stories in words and pictures, of the real and the unreal. I’ve been a journalist, a poet, a photographer, an artist: in word and image, I try to show the hidden, the unseen, the wondrous in the world around us.
As a freelance writer, I’ve written two nonfiction books and over 100 articles and blog posts, primarily on the arts, healing and the natural world. I’ve told the life stories of algae and rattlesnakes, and described the birth of moons and the death of stars. I’ve photographed the unique beauty of decaying buildings and the intricate patterns created by rust. In fiction I’ve created the world of Soledad City and the Moon Road. (Soledad will soon have its own WordPress blogsite, where you can read excerpts from the stories, get to know the characters, and participate in interactive storylines.)
Pictures have their own vocabulary, telling stories in a powerful way that’s different from what words can do – so I make images too. My art photography, videos (forthcoming) and design work explore the unseen and unnoticed bits in our everyday lives, inviting viewers to see with a different eye. Prints, T-shirts and custom design work cheerfully provided. See the Portfolio sections of this website for a sampling of published writing and images.
My eBooks, both fiction and nonfiction, are available through a variety of outlets under my LunaBlue imprint. For information on these titles and to purchase other works, see the LunaBlue: EBooks and More page.
Here’s a brief rundown of my publications:
On the Web:
CJ McKinney Wordcraft and Digital Design: www. cjmckinney.com
BestThinking.com: Featured Writer in Arts and Photography, 2010 – present
Demand Media: content writer, 2010 – 2011
Textbroker.com: content writer, 2010-present
VWorker: Expert Rated Writer, 2011- present
Photographs:
Hot Iron and Other Photographs: San Francisco: Blurb Publishing, 2008
Books:
Your Story: A Writing Guide for Genealogists. Bowie, MD: Heritage Books, 1994
Tutoring for Nursing: A Guide for Peer Tutors. Sacramento, CA: 1995
Articles, Fiction and Poetry:
The New Southwest, 2010
A Way With Murder, 2007
Grue Magazine, 2000
Les Chats Noirs, 1995
Potpourri, 1994 (Winner, Pickard Award for Short Fiction, Fall 1995)
Vox Femina, 2000
Southwestern Women: New Voices 1995
A Sense of Place 1995
Tucson Poetry Journal, 1995
Extraordinary Utterances, 1994
Lovers and Liars, 1994
Flashback, 1993
True Confessions, 1992
Dreams and Nightmares, 1990
Fennel Stalk No. 12, 1992
Fennel Stalk No. 13 1993
Brushstroke, 1990
Site Policy: This site and its blog network will not deny comments or contributions based on age, sex, race or beliefs. Quality and relevance of content remains the sole criteria for publication here or in any linked site.
Stars, darkness, a lamp, a phantom;
Dew, a bubble, a dream;
A flash of lightning or a cloud.
Thus should one look upon the world.
The Diamond Cutter Sutra