My career in social work exposed me to situation and people who seemed riddled with hopelessness. However there was always some resilience and/or fateful occurrences changing the trajectory of a seemingly desperate situation. Those characters, mostly children impacted me daily and gave me an empathy for the daily struggles of nameless people we pass everyday of busy streets. I wanted to put those struggles into stories and tell tales in dark, desperate, gothic situations that offered at least some hope and if not resolution, truth. more...