Who I am and what I write
In an attempt not to bore you (I'd much rather you read about my books, which you can find down below), I'll cut to the chase, my friends. I was a small-town boy who always dreamed of being a writer, so I became a journalist. After 15 years in that business, I moved on to teaching. At present, I try to shepherd 125 or so 13-year-olds through the wonders of the English language. All the while, I have developed my craft through writing several novels and learning from the best through writing retreats and seminars. While my first love has been science fiction, I increasingly find myself enamored of stories in the contemporary world - whether involving dysfunctional teens or even more dysfunctional adults. I don't seem to get along well with tidy, happy endings. I also tend not to stick to any particular genre or formula because I hate boxes. This does not help when I submit my work to agents who prefer I fit into a box. However, the digital world of publishing offers great opportunities for the more enterprising among us. Therefore, I hope you'll give my work a chance. The least you can do is check out the free sample pages on Amazon NOW. If you like, perhaps you'll make a purchase. If you purchase, perhaps you'll write a review when finished.
The Father Unbound is the first book I've published, but hardly my first work. It's a science-fiction history, a family saga, an epic story of revenge and redemption spanning 50 years. Check out the sample pages on Amazon. In the meantime, here's the jacket detail:
They come from the sky in red battle armor. Peacekeepers. Chancellors. The ruling caste of humanity for three millennia. Hadeed, like so many of his clan, reveres the Chancellors. Yet when this boy sees behind their veil of cruelty, the hatred buries itself deep within his soul. The distant planet Hiebimini - most valuable in the 40-world Collectorate - is dying, and the blood of its people and their Chancellor enemies will flow. One man will seek to free his people of their servitude, while another prepares not only for the end of his 3000-year-old bloodline, but possibly for the end of humanity itself. Fathers and sons will bear the burden of devastating secrets hidden for countless generations. NOW ON AMAZON! |
The Savage Clock: A story from the most recent Earth is truly a mashup. It's alternate-Earth science fiction, it's noir, it's a thriller, it's a government-conspiracy story, it's a story of doomed love, and once again, a family saga (of very odd sorts). Take your pick. It is also my most recent work. Check out the sample pages on Amazon. In the meantime, here's a synopsis:
To the young Tory idealist, Riley Danovan, no city tops Philadelphia, capital of the Federation of America. He overcame a hardscrabble life to find work in Parliament and the love of a woman (he does not care if she is Catholic). He prepares to celebrate his country’s bicentennial in summer 1944. Yet Riley does not know of forces gathering to plunge the country into a violent religious crusade or to use pawns such as Riley as fodder in the coming war. The explosive events of 1944 and Riley’s tragic journey down a dark path fuels this speculative saga. Set on an alternate Earth, Savage Clock tells the story of love gone awry as patriots, siblings, mothers and sons – and an ageless entity known only to a handful – turn to obsessive pursuits born of loss, betrayal, and guilt. Riley fights to hold onto all he values – his fiancee, his blind mother, his freedom – as a monster not of his creation grows inside. NOW ON AMAZON! |
Next up is the first of a planned series of four books. These are science fiction action-adventure tales. The first is The Last Everything, which gives 17-year-old Jamie Sheridan eight hours to live - no matter what he does.
Trapped in a small town, suffocating under the weight of his continuing grief over the loss of his parents and his brother's descent into the bottle, Jamie seeks a way out. He almost succeeds - unaware that the final countdown on his life has begun. Jamie was not born on this Earth, and contained within him is the seed for something extraordinary - and potentially monstrous - that could decide the fate of another universe. However, that seed, called a Jewel of Eternity, will be reborn in less than eight hours - and Jamie will die. That's bad enough - except there are some who want him dead before that can happen. So the chase is on - eight hours to avoid assassins or live in the safety of those who need to him to play out his destiny. Either way, he's dead. His only hope? The two friends he has left - Samantha Huggins and Michael Cooper - and faith in a possibility that is truly impossible. This story, unlike the other two featured here, rolls into the action right away and never lets up. Look for it this November. NOW ON AMAZON! |
Down the road ....
I expect to publish more books from my backlist down the line, including a coming of age tale, I Dream in Widescreen, about 13-year-old Evan Schaeffer, a boy born to affluence but barely keeping it together as his father sinks into alcoholism and his life full of insane adventures (and crazier dreams) takes a turn for the tragic. I wrote a sci-fi thriller back in the '90s called Symphony of Chaos, featuring a female captain of a ship ending a decades-long mission but threatened by a dark force onboard. I'll be revisiting and updating that.
I expect to publish more books from my backlist down the line, including a coming of age tale, I Dream in Widescreen, about 13-year-old Evan Schaeffer, a boy born to affluence but barely keeping it together as his father sinks into alcoholism and his life full of insane adventures (and crazier dreams) takes a turn for the tragic. I wrote a sci-fi thriller back in the '90s called Symphony of Chaos, featuring a female captain of a ship ending a decades-long mission but threatened by a dark force onboard. I'll be revisiting and updating that.