I have a vivid memory from my early childhood of finishing my very first ‘chapter book’ — The Wizard of Oz. Thus began my love of reading and of the fantasy genre. That love re-awakened in my college years when I picked up Lord of the Rings at the university bookstore. I read and read and read (when I should’ve been going to class). I dropped out of college in my third year (for which I totally blame J.R.R. Tolkien) and went to work. So many half-finished stories in notebooks, on floppy discs, CDs, and PCs since then. I went through an all-in horse phase in my twenties, moved up north to Central California with my folks (and my horse) and soon found a dream job at a resort/summer camp in the foothills. Many years (and horses) later, I moved out of the foothills and got a real job. I finally retired (from my real job) in 2021 and got serious about writing, and finishing, my first novel.
