I was born in the garden part of The Garden State, far from the New Jersey seen in the Sopranos. Farm life shaded my perceptions, and old-world knowledge seemed to separate me from my peers, or perhaps it was the ever-present smell of horse manure. Though I obtained a certain level of skill working with horses, I somehow knew my life would take a different path.

Corporate America called to me. I imagined it would be better to work in an air-conditioned office than in the fields or on the racetrack. I started in the mailroom and worked every day to learn new skills and advance my position. I got lucky, and some wonderful people gave me the chance to prove my worth, but as I climbed higher and higher on the corporate ladder, I came to see that the machine was broken. The day I read the daily Dilbert and realized that Scott Adams had landed one squarely on my forehead, I knew I had to make some changes.

I started working from home and finally found the time to write down the story that had been growing in my mind for over a decade. At times I felt like a juggler in motley while I balanced the writing of code and the writing of fiction, but it’s all been worthwhile.

And now I don my tinfoil cap and wander into a new adventure. There’s room for one more if you’d like to come along.