ABOUT ME

 

My wife would say (lovingly) that I am probably one of the biggest geeks she has ever met; I’d have to agree with her. September 22nd (Hobbit Day) October 24th (the day Frodo awoke in Rivendell) and May 4th (Star Wars Day) are regular holidays in our Chicago suburban home ... Shark Week is also a time of year to be observed with great festivity. I have managed to mildly infect her with some of my geekishness as she is a force to be reckoned with in Lord of the Rings trivial pursuit. Even my kids have developed a basic knowledge of the fantasy world as examples of early math problems included, "if you have three storm giants and you take away five of their eyes, what do you have left? One Cyclops."   

 

The original Star Wars Trilogy came out in my early years, so I grew up on the movies and the toys. (Before I got the actual Millenium Falcon, I used to staple paper plates together and draw the decals all over them, to make my own.) I was introduced to Dungeons & Dragons in high school by Dree and Doug Nagel, and both have continued to be intricate parts of my fantasy upbringing to this day, as they are Editor and Illustrator to the LX Vains Series. I loved the classic stories of the Trojan War, Beowulf, Milton's Paradise Lost and Dante's Inferno, and the conflicts of a large scale event as the backdrop for an individual's personal demons was as inspirational as the stories themselves. The fantastical majesties of the Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter books and films were the final ingredients into my imaginative cocktail; garnish it with twenty-something James Bond films, and at thirty-seven years young, my journey to geekdom had been completed.

 

Apart from the influences of fantasy role-playing games, literature, and cinematic adventures, my pastimes and employment have left an imprint on my life – and writing – as well. I grew up around boats and the water and began regularly snorkeling and scuba diving at a very young age. I became an EMT and paramedic in my late teens, and earned my commercial pilot and flight instructor certificates in my twenties.

   

Without a doubt, you will see that all of these elements have found their ways – some quite significantly – into the characters and experiences detailed in long-contemplated daydreams of a young adult with a tumultuous past trying to cope with unexplained powers in a modern world.

 

I give you the tales of LX Vains; I trust you will enjoy reading them as I’ve enjoyed concocting and producing them.