Writing was never on my radar. Early on, I think I saw the world layered into, first, normal people (me, my friends and family), then those in charge (teachers, police, priests and presidents), the supernatural (angels, monsters, Santa, leprechauns) and finally, just below God, were the makers of books. Writers were born writers, simple as that.
But I’ve always been a reader.
I grew up in New Jersey, and at age 12 moved to Colorado. My chief hobbies involved the early days of home computing and pre-web networking. In high school, after a stint as a busboy and a waiter, I began my career as a computer operator, then as a software engineer. I continued that career while attending local colleges in off-hours to pursue cross-spectrum interests. Then, attracted by a research position in Artificial Intelligence, I wrapped up a B.S. in Computer Information Systems with an emphasis in A.I., plus a minor in religious studies: I wanted a minor in psychology, but the university didn’t offer that, and theology sort of rhymed. I later got an MBA out of curiosity for how the world oils its wheels.
With the birth of the web in the early 1990s, I left my A.I. career for an Internet startup, which was bought by a telecom company, and where I worked until I retired. After that I entered a short story contest on a lark and discovered my love of writing—and that you didn’t need magic powers to do it (though that probably helps).
In 2018, my first book, The Sigil Masters, won the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writer’s contest for best Young Adult novel. It’s also been honored by IndieBrag, the Eric Hoffer Awards, and Wishing Shelf. I’ve since expanded it into a trilogy, and had published around a dozen cross-genre short stories.
I’d known of CAL for years, joining when I learned that Lilies of the Field, maybe my favorite film, was based on the novel by William Barrett, president of CAL in 1943.
Today I live in Colorado, never far from a biking trail or a cup of tea, and continue writing to discover new worlds and wander from the familiar. I’m also a member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association, the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers, and the Alliance of Independent Authors.