Why Stories?

The word “myth” is often used to mean “falsehood,” but that is not what myth is. Yes, stories, or myths, relate events that did not happen – but they are a vehicle for truth. For ideas and ideals hard to express any other way. A textbook holds information, but a story fosters understanding. There is a reason that Jesus taught in parables and that Aesop and Homer have survived the centuries. There is nothing in the world quite like story.

It is for this that Murphy spent his childhood in the movie theaters (only $3.75 a show!) or rereading a favorite series, to find every last corner of a story’s hidden rooms and pick up what may have been missed. Over the years, Murphy’s love of story has pushed him inexorably to create his own, and here we are.

Murphy’s stories strive to do two things – first, to entertain. To carry you breathlessly, as a story should. And second, to gently plant a few seeds that might help make sense of this tangled world and the lives that wind through it. And, maybe, to impart hope, healing, or a remembrance of beauty.

His primary influences are Tolkien, for his pure moments, for his tangible world and for the beautiful tug of war between tired but unerodable good and an insatiable evil. Lewis, for the way he wrestled with deep truths and did not always come to an answer. Asimov, for the way he cast into the future where we might end up and what we might become, and Zahn for his endless gallery of likeable characters and complex stories with nary a loose end.

He lives in Virginia with his wife and three daughters. The family loves pizza night, victory ice cream, and the ocean, which they visit whenever they can. Most days are spent in the happy routine of work and family, with much of the year spent hiding indoors from pollen. While writing remains a project for the nights and weekends, he is far from done.

Murphy admittedly still has no idea how to properly use commas.