My writing career started when I was 11 years old and submitted a story to Reader's Digest. It was promptly rejected since Reader's Digest did not print fiction. My first lesson in writing - know your markets.

In my freshman year in college, I saw a help wanted sign in the student union for a writer for the campus newspaper and suddenly the sky opened up, there was music and I was bitten by the writing bug forever. I became editor of the campus newspaper and then went on to write for the local daily newspaper, eventually becoming a reporter and then editor. I left the business and became a photographer, magazine editor, technical writer/editor and webmaster working in the wireless industry at Ericsson and Sony Ericsson. I currently serve as a consultant testing Sony Ericsson's latest mobile phones and accessories.

In addition to publishing articles in The New York Times, Oceans, Diversion, and American and Popular Photographer magazines, I was the editor-in-chief of Carolina Style magazine, a regional lifestyle publication similar to Southern Living magazine with national distribution. I have also published articles on writing in The Writer’s Journal and The Bulletin, the official publication of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America.

A member of the Backspace writers group, I have a Bachelor of Arts degree in Creative Writing and a BA in American Studies both from Penn State University.

My short essay on “What does it mean to be an American family” won in the Borders books Gather.com contest to promote the movie and book, Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri.

I also attended the Algonkian Writers Conference Novel Pitch Workshop in New York City, where I pitched my work to several publishing house editors.

I currently write a blog with Michael Neff, creator and editor of the Webdelsol and Algonkian websites, about writers’ issues called The Writer’s Edge. We have been referred to as the Ebert and Roeper of the literary scene with our point/counterpoint posts.

I live in North Carolina and I am married with three children.