I grew up in the suburbs of Cincinnati, Ohio, where Jerry Springer attended my temple, and Pete Rose broke my heart.     

I’ve rafted down the Rio Grande with folksinger Butch Hancock, co-created an award-winning mockumentary about table tennis, performed and written for a public access sketch comedy series, and embarrassed myself at an open mic songwriters night. I can juggle things like clubs and rings (and flaming torches, once, but never again), and I toyed with magic for a while, though never with the confidence required to be truly successful at it.  At various points in my life, I’ve been obsessed with the following:  Elvis, Hank Aaron, The Beatles, Bob Dylan, The Marx Brothers, Buster Keaton, Frank Lloyd Wright, Butch Hancock, Dan Bern, The Graduate, Thomas Berger, and Kurt Vonnegut—though not in that order.

Although I’ve dabbled in a lot of things, then only thing I ever really wanted to do was write.

I live with my wonderful wife and our two young sons in Arlington, Virginia.  

Frequently Asked Questions:

1. Why did you create this blog?

I heard that writers were supposed to have a platform.

2. What does that mean?

I’m not sure, but I think it is supposed to involve a blog.

3. Are these questions actually asked frequently?

Um, no.

4. Why do you want to be a writer?

I enjoy making up stories.

5. Really?  That’s it?

Pretty much.

6. What do you like best about writing?

Creating characters, plot, dialogue.

7. What do you like least about writing?

Description; scene setting.  Spending an hour to make a sentence right, knowing that I’ll probably have to cut it later. 

8. Do you belong to a writers’ group?

Yes.  I’m a proud assistant organizer of the Arlington Writers Group.  We meet at a high school, where we get picked on by all the jock meetups.

9. Do you root for any professional football teams?

No, I root for the Cincinnati Bengals.

10. Have you won any awards?

With respect to awards, I’ve been lightly decorated for trivial things.

With screenplays, I’ve be awarded honorable mentions, and I’ve been a quarterfinalist for both Scriptapalooza and the Nicholl Fellowship. 

I co-wrote and co-directed the audience award-winning short, “The Little White Ball.”

I also once wrote a short story that won me a free brunch at a local hotel.