Photo Credits: Submitted
On Sept. 22, 2026, Randal Seyler, author of the “Jehovah Moon” series of books and the metro editor for the River Valley Democrat-Gazette, presented at the latest RPL Author Series to discuss his past in both reporting and fiction writing.
Hosted by the Ross Pendergraft Library and Technology Center, the event offered attendees an opportunity to meet and greet Seyler and to hear about his writing career and the situations that shaped his work, particularly his experiences in journalism.
“There’s a reason a lot of famous writers began as journalists, from Mark Twain to Ernest Hemingway to Michael Connelly and Carl Hiaasen and hundreds of writers in between,” Seyler said. “Being a reporter teaches you how to write on a deadline and how to turn in a story when the bell rings.”
Seyler explained that the regimen of journalism influenced the way he approaches fiction writing.
“Writing daily for a newspaper, magazine, or other publication also builds up your writing discipline, which is an important requirement for any writer,” Seyler said. “Anyone can write a few pages now and then, when the mood strikes them, but a writer sits down and turns out pages day after day.”
In his discussion, Seyler also mentioned the differences between writing fiction stories and writing newspaper stories. While journalism taught the importance of details and deadlines, fiction comes with a different set of challenges and characteristics.
“Writing fiction requires more descriptive language than a typical piece of reporting such as a city council meeting or a crime story,” Seyler mentioned. “Sports writers and some feature writers get to be more colorful in their work than straight news reporters, although detail is always important to good writing.”
In his writing, Seyler was drawn to the Western genre, something that is reflected in his “Jehovah Moon” series. Growing up in Fort Worth, Texas, and then later living in Omaha, Nebraska, contributed to Seyler’s interest in the genre.
“I’ve just always been drawn to the genre, especially in film,” Seyler said. “I also find the fictitious moral code of the West alluring, although it is doubtlessly the creation of Hollywood in the 40s and 50s — in reality the West was a likely pretty amoral place.”
The Ross Pendergraft Library plans to have an extension of their RPL Author Series called “Meet the Authors” on Nov. 10, 2026. The event will be held in RPL 300AB at 6 p.m. and feature ATU’s first-time authors Neal Harrington, Karl Lowry, and Josh Nichols.
