Phoenix was born in Peekskill, New York to hard-working parents. He has also lived in Terre Haute, Indiana, Evansville, Indiana and has lived in Nashville, Tennessee since 1992.
A graduate of Indiana State University, Phoenix went on to work jobs in different fields over the years, occasionally even in writing, meet strange and interesting people, broaden his knowledge of martial arts and travel to different lands. Much to his mother's chagrin, he also engaged in motorcycle riding, skydiving, mountain climbing, bounty hunting, prisoner extraditions, firedancing and sword figh more...