About Me

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About Me


	You're All Wet!

"Everyone who has ever taken a shower has had an idea. It’s the person who gets out of the shower, dries off, and does something about it that makes a difference." — Nolan Bushnell

Exactly.

"It is the writer’s privilege to help man endure by lifting his heart."
— William Faulkner

He's crazy, too...

"A writer writes not because he is educated but because he is driven by the need to communicate. Behind the need to communicate is the need to share. Behind the need to share is the need to be understood. The writer wants to be understood much more than he wants to be respected or praised or even loved. And that perhaps, is what makes him different from others."
— Leo Rosten

A personal note

I grew up in San Diego, the fourth of seven children. My dad was a pharmacist (not a carpenter--at least not full-time!) and my mother a housewife. It was a large, raucous crowd in a small home, but there was an energy there, a sense of purpose instilled by my parents that we had important things to do, including discovering our spiritual destinies.

The trouble with real life is...

There's no soundtrack! Hear my personal musical score here.

"The only limitation is your imagination."

A lover of the arts, I was briefly sidetracked by a legal education but got back on track, afterwards attending graduate film school. I’ve written lots of screenplays and had several produced. I’ve been writing novels for ten years. After rejections by the big publishers, I self-published my first novel I Hated Heaven. My next book, Dad Was A Carpenter, won the Grand Prize in the 1999 International Self-Published Book Awards. Within days I had secured a top-flight agent and in just a matter of weeks, we made a great deal with HarperCollins to reprint Carpenter. Shortly thereafter, they signed me to write three books in the "Parables of the Carpenter" series. I've also continued screenwriting and self-publishing.

Professional

Writer, filmmaker, contractor, and attorney

Published Works

2011 The Wise Man Returns, historical novel
2008 Lightland, a soul's journey
2006 Oki's Island, allegorical novella
2004 City on a Hill, historical novel
2003 The Carpenter of Galilee, illustrated historical novella
2002 The Welcoming Door, historical novel
1999 Dad Was A Carpenter, memoir
1998 I Hated Heaven, speculative novel
1996 "3/4" Marine Ply," personal essay
1995 Fedora, dramatic short film
1987 Wildest Dreams, dramatic short film

Awards

2009 Gold Medal, Science Fiction from the ForeWord Book of the Year Awards
           for Lightland
2009 Gold Medal, Visionary Fiction from the Independent Publishers
           Association for Lightland
2009 Winner, Science Fiction from the NextGen Indie Book Awards for
           Lightland
2008 Finalist, Thriller/Adventure from the USA Best Books for Lightland
2007 Bronze Medal, Inspirational/Spiritual Fiction from the Independent
           Publishers Association for Oki's Island
  2006 Finalist, Religious Fiction from USA Best Books for Oki's Island
  2004 Winner, Religious Fiction from the Benjamin Franklin Awards for The
           Carpenter of Galilee
2004 Honorable Mention, Inspiration from the Writers' Digest International
           Self-Published Book Awards for The Carpenter of Galilee
2000 Children's Choice Award from the American Library Association for Fedora
2000 Winner, Non-fiction Audiobook from the Independent Publishers
           Association for Dad Was A Carpenter
1999 Grand Prize from the Writer's Digest International Self-Published Book
           Awards for Dad Was A Carpenter
1999 Togetherness Award from the Family Film Festival for Fedora
1998 Finalist, Inspirational Fiction from the Independent Publisher Association
           for I Hated Heaven
1996 Best Personal Essay from AML for "3/4" Marine Ply"
1995 Golden Eagle from the Council on International Non-theatrical Events
           for Fedora
1995 Silver Apple from the National Education Media Network for Fedora
1995 Movies on a Shoestring award from the Rochester Film Festival for Fedora
1995 Best of Fest from the Breckenridge Film Festival for Fedora

Hobbies

Music, films, reading, flying, travel, and friends.

My Book Reviews and Reading List from goodreads.com