...how I got started as a writer.

I think my path to becoming a writer started early with my mother and father. My dad was an avid reader of newspapers. At the farm we received three or four newspaper, two local papers and one regional daily, as well as a weekly news magazine. My mom was an avid reader of books, mostly fiction but she read whatever she could. I have many memories of my parents reading in the midst of the chaos of raising seven kids on the farm.

I did my first serious writing on the high school newspaper and later on college newspapers at Northern and UM. Most of my writing has been for newspapers, reporting and commentary. I have written a few short stories, none of which have been published.

I started Forsaken because I have been fascinated for years by the question of, "Are we alone in the universe?"

I wanted to explore what would happen if the possibility was raised that, in fact, we are the only intelligent species in the universe. How would that affect our view of religion, of society, and of our view of the environment.

With this premise I started writing forsaken and it evolved into an action-packed adventure that tries to weave into it all of the big questions.

The sequel to Forsaken will take some of these issues to a higher level.



...what I do when I am not writing.

I usually write in the morning, trying to get at least four hours of interupted time. I spend quiet a bit of time on research and try to have all the pertinent facts well researched before I sit down in front of the computer.

I am still very active in the Castle Rock, CO, communtiy. I belong to a local Rotary club and I am on the board of a local land trust, the Douglas Land Conservancy.

I also enjoy riding my bicycle. I have completed many week-long bicycle tours, including tours in Colorado, New Mexico, France and Italy. One long-term goal is to ride, in one outing, from Canado to Mexico through the Rocky Mountain states on a road or touring bicycle.

I enjoy gardening and make some great pickles.

I also enjoy some television, mostly news or documentary shows or crime dramas. About the only sports I watch are the local (Denver) teams or things like the World Series or Super Bowl.