ABOUT MJ

My Bio

People tell me I initially come across as quiet and shy. However, once they get to know me, they soon discover I've got a great sense of humor and can be quite the ball-buster. I can laugh at myself, just as much as at or with others.

I'm the first to admit that I'm not a huge reader. Yet here I am writing books. In my youth, many many many many years ago, I loved reading Stephen King, Michael Crichton, James Patterson, and Tom Clancy novels. Once I graduated from college and got a big-boy job, I found I had little time to stop, relax, and read a good book. Maybe I'd bring one on a vacation or long flight, but those times were rare.

I found movies replaced books. Oddly enough, when I write my stories, I envision every one as a movie. I can see each scene play out in my head and try my best to inject those senses onto the page.

I also love realism in books and movies. I think that's why I loved Michael Crichton so much. He'd take a technical concept and then connect the dots to make you believe scientists could bring dinosaurs back to life. The best stories, whether on page or screen, suck you into a sense of "what would I do in this situation," or "could this happen?" Those are the stories I strive to tell.

My History

I loved creative writing in college, but my degree was in the world of computer science. I spent 30 years working in many aspects of information technology, from design through management. I somehow feel my systems development experience helped position me to craft and build stories, characters, and the worlds they inhabit. I find I take a formulaic approach to world and character building, often spending months outlining a story before I start writing the first chapter.

In 2017 I spent my nights and weekends fulfilling my dream of writing/publishing my first novel - Tallow, An Urban Legend. In 2018 I hired an editor and ended up doing a heavy rewrite of the story. She also recommended I attend Robert McKee's Story seminar. The event proved to be a genuinely life-changing experience. I released the second edition of my first book in November 2018. During this time, I mapped out the sequels in detail to quickly publish them. The sequel, Rosemary, launched in February 2019. The final entry in the trilogy, Time to Pay, dropped in June, four months later. It was a long 30 months, but it was worth the effort.

My Dog

If you follow me on Instagram, you are already very well acquainted with JoJo. I adopted him in December 2011 from a no-kill shelter. He was two months shy of turning six years old. A lab-hound mix, he had spent almost half his life at that no-kill shelter, going from foster home to foster home. I couldn't understand why nobody wanted to adopt him. It took him a few months to realize he was in his forever home with me. From that day forward he was a happy and chill dog, and my best bud. We spent a great decade together. Unfortunately, JoJo developed kidney disease in late 2021. I was fortunate to have him for his ten-year "gotcha day" anniversary. Sadly, we couldn't stop the progress of the disease, and he was laid to rest on December 19th, 2021. I'm not at a place to adopt another dog. At least not yet. Luckily, I have enough friends with dogs that I still manage to get lots of puppy love.

My Projects

I published Skin Deep during the first half of 2022. The story began as an episodic thriller on Kindle's app-based Vella platform. After running its 22-episode course, I converted it to e-Book and paperback.