If anyone had predicted I would become a novelist, I would have dismissed the idea, yet that is what happened. As a child in the late 1960s and early 1970s, I avidly read The Boxcar Children and older works like Tip, Jan, and Dick, published from the 1930s to 1970s. From 1972 to 1975 in North Haven, Connecticut, I often read in a tree house full of cherished memories. That space felt like my private world, where stories took me away from frequent moves or daily routines. High among the branches, I found comfort and escape in my favorite books. The wonder and freedom I felt there remain with me, inspiring my novel Little Red House and prompting reflection on that chapter of my life.

My mischievous nature defined much of my experience during the 1970s. Around 1969 -1972, when I was  9-12 years old and still living in North Haven, my friends and I attempted to construct a makeshift zipline from the tree house in our friend's backyard to the fence. We secured an old jumprope to a branch and used a rusty pulley, confident in its strength. When my turn arrived, the knot failed, and I landed in a pile of raked leaves, escaping with only minor scrapes and laughter.

 

Yet it wasn't just our play that shaped my upbringing; our family life was also marked by frequent relocations, a recurring aspect of our lives in the 1970s. My parents had mixed feelings about both our moves and my antics. They encouraged my curiosity and need for adventure, but sometimes worried about our adjustment to new places and the trouble I might find. Despite these challenges, we tried to keep a sense of humor and adventure at the heart of each transConstant move, which shaped my storytelling. After our family left Saint Louis for New Jersey, I attended high school, though my focus on reading waned as social activities and music took precedence. In 1980, another move brought us to Waterville, Maine, where I worked as a cab driver. Late-night shifts exposed me to all kinds of people—some funny, some tense. I recall a quiet winter night driving an elderly man through empty streets so he could reminisce about the town’s changes since his youth. He shared stories of old diners and dance halls lost to time; for that ride, it felt like we both traveled back into his memories. Moments like these inspired The Small Town Taxi, based on my cab-driving days in the early 1980s.

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After leaving Maine in the mid-1980s, our family relocated once more, and I eventually settled in Florida. In the late 1980s, I attended two colleges in Florida, studying media and animation at the second institution. Learning about animation taught me to think visually, which often shapes the way I build scenes in my novels. Understanding storyboarding and pacing from both media and animation classes gave me valuable tools for structuring my stories and creating vivid, cinematic moments in my writing. These studies encouraged me to see storytelling from new angles and to experiment with how images, emotions, and movement can come alive on the page.

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Awing on these influences, I found my way back to writing. In 2015, a creative writing class in Largo, Florida, reignited my passion and led to Lost Footsteps. Since then, I’ve authored books such as Summer on Pine Lake and The Last Firefly Night, each inspired by my life. With sixteen published titles and more on the way, my love of reading has grown into a deep commitment to writing. I find ideas in TV, movies, or personal interests. The process is challenging and time-consuming. I usually spend 2 weeks researching, depending on the story's needs. Facing the blank page is daunting, but once I start, it’s hard to stop. I write daily, working on stories or books for five to ten hours.

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Ultimately, whether for an audience or just for myself, I find satisfaction in the act of creation. Even without pay, I write for the pure joy of storytelling. While I make some typographical errors, the narrative always comes first. Some readers notice, but most do not. I hope you enjoy my work as much as I enjoy creating it—my readers motivate me most. I always appreciate hearing your thoughts about favorite characters, moments, or stories. If my books inspire your reflections, I’d love to hear them. Your feedback helps my stories grow beyond the page.

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