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As a child, I read mysteries such as The Hardy Boys and The Three Investigators. Wanting to be thrilled by edgier dramas, I penned my own stories where sometimes the well-intentioned heroes were killed by the murderous villains.

I authored a humor column in my high school newspaper on the foibles and challenges of surviving high school as a klutz. It didn't impress the girls that much, but it did win journalism awards for humor.

At Augustana College in Rock Island, IL, I majored in English with a focus in creative writing. In college I published sixteen short stories and over 40 poems and won nearly every award offered by the college literary magazine. Chosen by the faculty to be the editor-in-chief my senior year, humorous advertisements resulted in record numbers of applications for staff and submissions for publication. I was accepted to an honors writing quarter for my body of work, getting full academic credit to revise a draft of a literary novel (I discovered many interesting character studies and "creative ideas" in the local drinking establishments!)

After graduating magna cum laude and a short stint as a professional staff member of the Boy Scouts, I continued working on my creative writing while earning a living as a free-lance writer, specializing in producing marketing materials and editing technical manuals for a variety of defense contractors. After several years of successful freelance work, I accepted a position as communications coordinator with a medical laboratory in charge of all written communications to clients. I was promoted to Marketing/Sales Manager, using a mix of psychology and black magic to lead my team to annual sales growth of 65% a year for five years. This success led to additional promotions through the administrative ranks to my current position as Purchasing/Marketing Officer, where I negotiate company contracts for virtually everything purchased or sold.

I love public speaking, occasionally giving talks to writing students at my alma mater on "Freelancing Your Way Into a Job" and "Marketing Ethics." I have spoken at a national sales convention about the customer side of a negotiation, and my spouse and I have given presentations to women's studies classes and conventions on "Building Bridges: An Inclusive Marriage Philosophy."

A life-long Dungeons & Dragons participant and fan, I continue to follow my true passion—telling stories in the fantasy fiction genre. Fascinated by how the lines between good and evil are often blurred by motivation and context, I enjoy writing about complex characters who rarely fall entirely into either category. Agent Matt Bialer, who represents many of fantasy's top writers and provided wonderful insight in honing the book down to publishable size, is currently representing my work to publishers.

I reside in rural Illinois, enjoying a native prairie on my land with my spouse, four cats, and an exuberant one-eyed, gimpy-legged dog.