I’m an author of science-fiction and fantasy with a penchant for the classic weird tale and the adventure pulps. I received the Writers of the Future Award in 2011, and my winning story, “An Acolyte of Black Spires,” first appeared in Writers of the Future Vol. XXVII. I have written extensive nonfiction for the fantasy/SF imprint Perilous Worlds and in a regular column for Black Gate magazine. My stories have has appeared in Tales From the Magician’s Skull, Black Gate, Every Day Fiction, Stupefying Stories, Beyond Centauri, Plasma Frequency, and the anthology Candle in the Attic Window.

I was born in Washington, DC, but have lived most of my life in L.A. and consider myself an Angelo and Californian—although not necessarily in that order. I currently reside in Costa Mesa, CA, in the company of a black cat. I attended Carleton College in Minnesota, where I earned a BA in History. Before becoming a professional writer, I worked as a story editor for director Roland Joffé, a speed-reading instructor, and copyeditor.

During the day, I write marketing content, and spend the rest of the time working on fantasy, science-fiction, and horror novels/short stories. My ongoing series in the continent of Ahn-Tarqa explores the many different nooks of science-fantasy in a literary gumbo of dinosaurs, bizarre tech, and fantastic adventure.

My writing influences include Leigh Brackett, Clark Ashton Smith, Robert E. Howard, Cornell Woolrich, Raymond Chandler, J. R. R. Tolkien, Ian Fleming, Algernon Blackwood, and Michael Moorcock. I am an authority on the works of Edgar Rice Burroughs. Godzilla is my specific drug. I love movies, history, and numerous oddball topics. In the world outside my apartment fortress, I’m an improv comedian who performs as part of the Improv Collective in Costa Mesa.