I was born in Newton, New Jersey, but moved to Florida and then Georgia at a young age. I attended a private christian school (predominantly catholic) in Augusta, Georgia, for elementary through high school.
I wrote short stories ever since I was in grade school. At the age of 12 I started taking classical guitar followed by classical voice lessons at the local college. I continued to write short stories on occasion. In the 10th grade I checked out a book of Edgar Allan Poe’s complete works from the school library. I was really inspired by his stories and to this day he is still my favorite author. In high school I played soccer and a little basketball for the school. As a junior I was a starting fullback on the varsity soccer team. I was also involved with drama and music both at my high school and at the college. I graduated receiving the ‘Excellence in Fine Arts’ award from my high school.
After high school I moved to Athens, Georgia and focused on my music. I also began writing screenplays in my spare time. I bartended to make ends meet. After some years of recording and playing shows, I was still not able to get a recording contract; I returned to college.
In 2005 my girlfriend and I bought a house on the outskirts of Athens, Georgia (we closed on it on 5/05/05). We got married in December of 2006. She is a research biologist and avid knitter.
I graduated from the University of Georgia with a B.S. in psychology in December of 2007. I was a recipient of the ‘Presidential Scholar Award’ and a member of PSI CHI (the psychology honor society). I was accepted into an experimental psychology graduate program in 2008, but had to decline for logistical and financial reasons.
I always had hopes of penning a novel, and on March 24th of 2009 I began writing Sebastian and the Afterlife. I finished the first draft on August 6th of that year. I ended up doing 4 more drafts of the novel. Soon I was shopping it around to agents and publishing houses.
After nearly a year of queries, the book was picked up by TWCS Publishing House (I signed the contract on 10/10/10). The book went into editing that winter. My 96,000 word manuscript was whittled down to around 87,000 words. I learned a lot in the editing process.
The book was released February 24th of 2011. Before the release day I was already contracted to read the audio book and write the sequel.
I’ve been busy since then. I have been doing book signings, speaking engagements, interviews, and posting on blogs on top of keeping my sites updated. It’s almost overwhelming to keep up with it all. I barely made my deadlines, finishing the audiobook August 15th, and turning in the first draft of the Sebastian and the Afterlife sequel on August 31st.
Right now we are in the middle of editing the Sebastian and the Afterlife sequel, which will be coming out in February of 2012. It’s really dark and edgier than the first book. I love it. There is already an agreement with the publishing house about the third (and likely final) Sebastian book slated for early 2013. I’m not sure when the audiobook will be released.
In spite of how busy I have been with my writing, I still try to make a little time for my other interests (music and film). A little while back I wrote and recorded a couple of new songs (which can be heard on the Sebastian and the Afterlife website). As for film, I was able to play a zombie in an independent movie called ‘Pushin up Daises’ that came out in 2010, and I am already signed on as an extra in an upcoming Vince Vaughn/Ben Stiller movie shooting in early November. I’m also trying to film one of my recent screenplays, hopefully that will happen this winter.
In 2012 I will be promoting the second Sebastian and the Afterlife book, Agents of the Reaper, while working on the third. I really love being an author and plan to keep doing it as long as I have stories worth telling.
