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Stephen’s Friends (107)

Elaine Matlock

287 books | 64 friends

Victoria Bastedo

70 books | 61 friends

Michael Alba Colbert

694 books | 48 friends

John Harris

469 books | 46 friends

Michael

221 books | 19 friends

Carrie Houghton

2,740 books | 118 friends

Alicia

240 books | 73 friends

Max McDevitt

1,955 books | 167 friends

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2026 Reading Challenge

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Stephen J. Matlock

Goodreads Author

Born

in The United States

Website

https://stephenmatlock.com

Twitter

stephenmatlock

Genre

History, Historical Fiction, Humor and Comedy

Member Since

September 2007

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/stephenmatlock

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Stephen Matlock is a full-time editor and part-time author and gardener, often overwhelmed by both words and weeds. Along the way to adulthood (a promised destination and not a requirement of the journey) he has tried his hand at many things, from running a restaurant to technical writing, where the goal is to tell people what to do, but nicely. He lives with his wife in the Pacific Northwest and has seen his children fly away to build their own lives, although they do return regularly for food, advice, and help on finding what that pesky sound in the car engine means other than money. Like most people in his faith community, is still working out the details of what it means to follow Jesus.

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Popular Answered Questions

I recently read your article about racism on Medium. Which do you prefer writing, fiction or nonfiction?

Stephen J. Matlock Wow. Hard question to answer. I prefer fiction for the freedom it gives me to make things up. (I'm told that non-fiction should be somehow attached to…moreWow. Hard question to answer. I prefer fiction for the freedom it gives me to make things up. (I'm told that non-fiction should be somehow attached to factual claims.)

When I write about non-fictive events, such as racism, I enjoy exploring this real world, but I find that non-fiction can feel limiting. Sometimes I write the story I want to tell as fiction because I can dive deeper into meaning and symbol and purpose.

So--I think fiction, but by a 60:40 ratio.(less)

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Where did you get the idea for Stars in the Texas Sky?

Stephen J. Matlock Now there's a question....

I was raised in a part of the United States where we didn't talk about or acknowledge race. Which is actually most of the Un…moreNow there's a question....

I was raised in a part of the United States where we didn't talk about or acknowledge race. Which is actually most of the United States.

I was challenged by a friend to see him as he was: black. It was very upsetting to me because I'm a very nice person who doesn't offend people, and here I was offending him because I didn't recognize one of the more salient parts about his existence!

So I set out to learn about what I was deliberately choosing to ignore.

And boy howdy was I ignorant!

I started researching and reading and listening. I read a hundred books, listened to a thousand songs, watch dozens of movies, listened to an increasingly diverse and undiscovered set of voices speaking out.

I know! Here I was, living in this country, and an entire set of people were rendered invisible to me.

I did a lot of listening, and started building up the idea of a world living in parallel to mine, intermixed with mine, and yet never really touching mine.

I read and read and read, all sorts of original source documents. My library went from a nearly pure-white set of authors to an incredibly diverse set of viewpoints. I read narrative and poetry and song and newspapers and magazines.

What is this thing, to be black in America?

As a straight white Evangelical man, I had no idea, and *never needed to know*.

But I started to get some insight.

One point in the black experience struck me, hard, and that was Emmett Till. I had *never heard of him*. He was murdered a few years before I was born, and as far as I could tell, his death was unnoticed by everyone around me.

And yet...every single black American I talked to or listened to knew all about him.

An ordinary boy, thought to be living "safe" in the South, murdered by crazy, racist, ordinary Americans.

His story stuck with me, because I could remember being 12 or 13 and being harum-scarum, and *knowing* I was safe being cocky and confrontative and fun-loving.

He was not safe, and what he did to deserve being beaten and tortured and drowned, at 13, was simply to use his speech therapy and his confidence to speak to a white lady in the South.

And I was in a writers' group that met weekly to talk about their writing. One of the things we did every week was to get a prompt, then write for 15 minutes, and share the flash fiction.

I got the prompt "The car ran through the STOP sign as if it wasn't there..."

That led to the gem of the idea. A car driving through the STOP sign is a sign of a man who does not obey the rules.

What would it be like to be young, and see that the rules you were taught about weren't really the real rules? How do you grow up as a boy into a man, and discover what those real rules are? How is it that STOP signs don't stop cars, admonitions of respect and love don't cause love and respect, commands to be good and true and kind from your religion don't make you *be* good and true and kind?

That prompt had me writing furiously for fifteen minutes, and the entire world of Henry Valentine fell into place.

I knew I had a story in those 1000 words.

And I started plotting out the ideas. Henry Valentine, raised to believe in law and justice, sees the impunity with which those laws and justice are ignored for expediency and revenge and the lust to destroy others. He's 13, and he must grow up to understand that the world of adults which promised him safety and order and respect was actually just a thin veneer on what *actually* happens in the world.

I fleshed out the story over the next year, and then I finished with the story of a young baseball player in a small town in East Texas. I set in in Texas rather than Mississippi so that I could avoid direct comparisons between my story and Emmett Till--I did not want to pretend I understood that story at all--and I just let the characters introduce themselves and go through their lives.

There are bumps along the way, twists and turns and betrayals, and care and love and honor. Henry learns what is in his heart, and learns that you end up doing the right thing when you let your heart tell you what to do.

I sign the copies of my book with the words of Henry, never spoken in the book: "Your life is as big as your heart is."

You won't live until you understand this. When you understand this, then all of life is before you, to bring about healing and care and love, no matter if you are a young man in 1950s racially segregated East Texas, or an old guy living in the racially segregated United States of America of 2018.(less)

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Stephen J. Matlock’s books

Average rating: 4.36 · 47 ratings · 21 reviews · 6 distinct works

	Stars in the Texas Sky 4.26 avg rating — 35 ratings — published 2012 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	River of Dreams: Essays, Short Stories & Flash Fiction 4.25 avg rating — 4 ratings — published 2013 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Free-flowing Stories by Sheri J. Kennedy (Goodreads Author) (Editor), Rachel Barnard (Goodreads Author) (Assistant Editor), Kathleen Gabriel (Goodreads Author) (Assistant Editor) it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 3 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Mountains of the Moon: Thoughts about the Journey 4.67 avg rating — 3 ratings — published 2014 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	When the Stars First Fell it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 2 ratings — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Take a Mind Trip by Catharine Leggett (Goodreads Author), Ronna L. Edelstein, Bill Mesce 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Stephen J. Matlock's Blog

Little White Lies

What is the answer we tell a father like Danté who just wants to send his kids to school and expect to see them return? What do we tell the mother in Tehran who sent her daughter to school, a smart, clever girl who is her hope for the future, and both of them not a clue that at the end of the day there would be no reunion?I do know this: what we are telling them now, as always, will always never b Read more of this blog post »

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Published on March 07, 2026 19:08

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Stephen is Currently Reading

Stephen Matlock is currently reading

The Great Dechurching: Who’s Leaving, Why Are They Going, and What Will It Take to Bring Them Back?

by Jim Davis

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Feb 17, 2026 05:04PM

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This Great Hemisphere

by Mateo Askaripour (Goodreads Author)

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Feb 16, 2026 07:07AM

Stephen Matlock is currently reading

Everybody Has Something to Hide: Why and How to Use Signal to Preserve Your Privacy, Security, and Well-Being

by Guy Kawasaki (Goodreads Author)

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Jan 30, 2026 04:06PM

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Stephen J. Matlock wrote a new blog post Little White Lies What is the answer we tell a father like Danté who just wants to send his kids to school and expect to see them return? What do we tell the mother in Read more of this blog post »
Mar 08, 2026 01:25AM · like
Stephen Matlock finished reading One Long Night: A Global History of Concentration Camps by Andrea Pitzer (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Feb 19, 2026 09:19PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of One Long Night by Andrea Pitzer. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — One Long Night by Andrea Pitzer <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Stephen Matlock is currently reading The Great Dechurching: Who’s Leaving, Why Are They Going, and What Will It Take to Bring Them Back? by Jim Davis	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Feb 17, 2026 05:04PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Great Dechurching by Jim Davis. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Great Dechurching by Jim Davis <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Stephen Matlock is currently reading This Great Hemisphere by Mateo Askaripour (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Feb 16, 2026 07:07AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of This Great Hemisphere by Mateo Askaripour. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — This Great Hemisphere by Mateo Askaripour <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Stephen Matlock finished reading Access To Power by Robert Ellis (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Feb 11, 2026 10:16PM · like
Stephen Matlock rated a book really liked it How to Win Arguments by William A. Rusher	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
I first read this decades ago when I was a conservative, and I've re-read it a few times since then, even when I flipped over to a more liberal view. It's entertaining and filled with good quotes from people who were in the moment of the writing of th ...more
Feb 08, 2026 05:23PM · like · see review
Stephen Matlock is currently reading Everybody Has Something to Hide: Why and How to Use Signal to Preserve Your Privacy, Security, and Well-Being by Guy Kawasaki (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jan 30, 2026 04:06PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Everybody Has Something to Hide by Guy Kawasaki. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Everybody Has Something to Hide by Guy Kawasaki <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Stephen Matlock is currently reading Battlestations (The Iron Fleet #1) by Daniel Gibbs (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jan 30, 2026 04:06PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Battlestations by Daniel Gibbs. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Battlestations by Daniel Gibbs <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Stephen Matlock is currently reading The Politics of Jesus: Rediscovering the True Revolutionary Nature of Jesus' Teachings and How They Have Been Corrupted by Obery M. Hendricks Jr. (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jan 17, 2026 09:40AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Politics of Jesus by Obery M. Hendricks Jr.. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Politics of Jesus by Obery M. Hendricks Jr. <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Stephen Matlock is currently reading The Sacred Weapon (Tom Wagner, #1) by M.C. Roberts (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jan 11, 2026 02:14PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Sacred Weapon by M.C. Roberts. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Sacred Weapon by M.C. Roberts <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">

More of Stephen's books…

Stephen’s Quotes

“You think your pain and your heartbreak are unprecedented in the history of the world, but then you read.”
― James Baldwin

3933 likes

“Truth is sometimes more important than the facts.”
― Gary Copeland Lilley

tags: truth

2 likes

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”
― H. Jackson Brown Jr., P.S. I Love You

tags: actions, disappointed, disappointment, dream, dreams, explore, misattributed-mark-twain, sail

60320 likes

“Friendship ... is born at the moment when one man says to another "What! You too? I thought that no one but myself . . .”
― C.S. Lewis, The Four Loves

tags: friendship

88146 likes

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.”
― Martin Luther King Jr., A Testament of Hope: The Essential Writings and Speeches

Stephen’s Year In Books

Stephen J. Matlock’s Followers (29)

Stephen’s Bookshelves

Stephen’s Friends (107)

2026 Reading Challenge