I write novels about finding adventure on the open road. When I’m not writing, I teach Creative Writing and host a podcast on the craft and techniques of fiction and creative nonfiction.

I started out in Eastern Oregon, spent most of my life in and around the Boise, Idaho area, and have now firmly grown roots on the beautiful Oregon Coast. I went to three different high schools and wouldn’t wish the experience on anyone. I was raised in a very conservative religion, left it for a different brand of conservative religion, and would now describe my belief system as something like an agnostic atheist. Because my religious journey has been such a large part of my life, the exploration of religious themes often bleeds into my writing (and probably not in the way you’re hoping if you’re currently subscribed to a religious dogma).

Education

MA English and Creative Writing, Southern New Hampshire University
BA English and Writing Minor, Oregon State University
BA Education, Oregon State University
English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), Oregon State University

Why Road Stories?

I’ve always felt the pull of adventure, the call of the open road. I’m fascinated by how the road changes people and allows them to discover who they really are apart from the hectic work-a-day world. Sometimes we make the choice to leave the security of our normal lives to seek out an adventure, but sometimes we are thrown headlong into it against our will. Either way, the road changes us. We never come home the same person we were when we left.