I was born October 26, 1950, which makes me a Scorpio according to the Zodiac, a tiger according to the Chinese calendar and a senior according to my local movie theater.  I've lived in St. Petersburg, Florida for over fifty of those years and claim "Crackerdom", even though this was not my place of birth (Elgin, Illinois, for the curious).  Those born here might take exception to this, but here's my justification for that statement: I feel if where a person lives is the only home they have ever known, that makes you a native.  I'm married (check the dedication in the first Hearts are Where You Find Them), have two sons and a great daughter-in-law.       I've written since middle school which, considering my age, means I've been writing the better part of my life.  It has only been in the past ten or so years that I have pursued the craft of writing with a greater degree of intensity.  I have written poetry, prose, novellas, short stories, and articles.  I have written pieces that have made people laugh, and pieces that have made others cry.  I don't limit myself to one genre; this is not for any philisophical reason - it's just that I'm interested in a great many things, which is reflected in my writing.       Photography has been an important element of my life for over thirty-five years.  I use a digital camera, the current coin of the realm for the photographic art, but have in the past used 35 millimeter (SLR and rangefinder), medium format, "folding plate" cameras (including my all time favorite, a 1923 Zeiss-Ikon Donata) and several pinhole cameras of my own construct.  Pinhole photography is still my favorite, even though I haven't done it in some time.  There is something raw and perfect about this most ancient of photographic techniques that carries with it a certain allure.       My other interests include performing on and building Native American style flutes (check my calendar for upcoming performances), Taoism, motorcycles (between bikes right now), mathematics, origami, soap making, designing Celtic knots, building pentatonically tuned wind chimes, and anything else that catches my eye.  I've had some people refer to me as a 'Renaissance man'.  That sounds a bit pretentious to me, so I'll just cop to something Albert Einstein said about himself:     "I have no particular talent.  I am merely extremely inquisitive."

No certifications, no awards. My achievements are my books, from Forty Rabbit Holes up to my most recent opus, Mama Root: Tales from the Old Woman of Loop Road.