About the Author

For me the hardest part about the actual writing of my first book, came at the end. Not the end of the story, I've actually known how I wanted The Thin House to end almost since I came up with the idea. No, the hardest part was the "About the Author" section. I definitely put a lot of myself into the stories I write, but it's different when you are 100% writing about yourself. I ended up scribbling a few sentences, then went back and forth with my editor several times before we landed on something that was in any way functional.

It's very awkward writing about yourself, and I use up all my awkward just through the course of a typical day. 

That being said, I always liked learning about my favorite authors. I like how every author seems to have worked a weird assortment of jobs prior to writing. When I was a kid I liked reading about Roald Dahl and seeing how his eclectic, bizarre experiences led to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Matilda, and so much more. As I got older, it was fascinating to learn about J.R.R Tolkien's experiences in the first world war helping shape Lord of the Rings. Even now, I really appreciate writers I admire like Stephen King, Neil Gaiman, and Scott Snyder engaging with fans through social media, and sharing parts of their lives. 

This is tough for me. As I get older I value my privacy. I like the quiet life I've built with my family, and I really don't like to put that out there for everyone. It's not impossible for a writer to be reclusive and mysterious while still being successful. Plenty of my favorites have gone that route, (Looking at you Cormac McCarthy) but in our increasingly connected world it's rarer and rarer. But like I said, I always appreciated writers engaging personally with readers, and I want to try to be that way. To a degree. 

So with that mind, I wanted to share a little about myself. My family has been in the Southeast for generations, and I grew up in Mississippi. Southern culture plays a big part in my writing, in what I would consider a very positive way. The South certainly has its flaws, but it also has some noteworthy virtues that are often overlooked. William Faulkner once said "To understand the world, you must first understand a place like Mississippi." I wholeheartedly and humbly agree.

I have a large and supportive family who have always been big on food and storytelling. I was taught to work hard, but I was raised in a safe and loving environment. We were fortunate and I've always had access to good books and TV. Besides the authors mentioned above I grew up loving Ray Bradbury, Larry McMurtry, Terry Pratchett, C.S. Lewis, Richard Matheson, and Alexandre Dumas, to name a few. Television-wise I was raised on cartoons like Batman the Animated Series, Invader Zim, Hey Arnold, and Samurai Jack. I still revisit these. I also had access to my dad's silver age comics which sparked a lifelong obsession with the funny books.

After I finished high school, but before starting college I did missionary service for two years. That time in my life was weird, humbling, and at times scary, but it was also empowering, spiritual, and revealed a lot about who I was and who I wanted to be. During that time I met a lot of fascinating people, and had some really crazy experiences, which I think every storyteller needs in some form. I absolutely credit my time as a missionary as the foundation for a lot of the writing i'm doing now.

I got married about two years after I finished my missionary service. I've never liked when people go to social media, or public platforms to talk about how much they love and adore their significant other. I think that's more of an Acta Non Verba area to be honest. I will say I'm very fortunate and leave it at that. Lydia and I don't have any kids yet, but we are definitely animal people, and we like our Akita, Ceri better than we like most people. Never thought I'd be one of those people, but here we are.
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When I'm not working on The Thin House and it's spin-offs, I enjoy gardening, cooking, boxing, reading comics, spending time with family, and watching far too much television. Right now i'm really into Fargo (the anthology series on FX), Barry, and The Haunting of Hill House. However, I also constantly revisit The Twilight Zone, Cowboy Bebop, and Justified. With books, lately I'm reading a lot of Fredrik Backman, Dan Simmons, and I'm halfway through the Mr. Mercedes books by Stephen King.  

So that's a little about me. Know that I do my best to respond to inquiries, comments, etc. In terms of some house-keeping, I'm happy to share that some of the last technical pieces are coming together for the book, and I hope to have some firm dates on the release, as well as a tease of the cover art in the next couple weeks. Until then. ​

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