A small town kid just living the dream. — Hi everyone! My name is Noah Nelson and I am from the small town of Taylorville, located smack dab in the middle of Illinois. Currently, I am a junior at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign majoring in journalism with minors in political science and history. Outside of the classroom…

This story is crazier than you think. — You know who President John Tyler is, right? You should know he spent some time in the White House, and that even though he died in 1862 in the early days of the American Civil War, he still has one grandchild living today. How is that even possible? It’s strange…

I should’ve jumped on this boat a long time ago. — I have a confession to make. I saw “Killers of the Flower Moon” by David Grann at my local bookstore in Taylorville, Ill. many years ago. It wasn’t in the display window or even close to the front of the story, but rather in the true crime section. Its store…

I don’t go to the movies too often. I’m not like film critic Roger Ebert who sits in a dark theatre all of the time watching films. …

You’ll be so glad you did. — A few weeks ago, I met mystery author Brendan Slocumb at the Champaign Public Library as part of their Great Author events. Slocumb is most known for his debut novel “The Violin Conspiracy.” …

I could hardly put it down at all. — I have a confession to make. I needed a new mystery author to read, one whose words would keep my interest longer than 10–20 pages. There’s nothing against the likes of James Patterson and Harlan Coben, Lee Child and John Sandford, the regular authors I read. I just needed a…

I’ve re-read them and think about these books quite often. — Ahh, high school literature classes. Those days were spent reading classics and learning why those books are considered classics. It was wonderful to travel back in time learning about the ideas behind those books, the times in which they were written, and the authors behind the words. Many of them…

This past week, the WWE Universe lost the one and only, Bray Wyatt. Known to fans as the Eater of Worlds, The Fiend, and the New Face of Fear, Wyatt left us at the mere age of 36. …

I woke up earlier this weekend to find something peculiar about Medium. As I continued my daily morning routine of drinking water, going to the bathroom, and stretching, I then checked Medium. I also look how much I earn along with other stats. Then I found something I had never…