I received some exciting news last month which I want to share with all of you!

The International Book Awards announced the winners and the finalists of the 2019 INTERNATIONAL BOOK AWARDS (IBA) on May 11, 2019. My novel, Diego’s Secret, is an Award-Winning Finalist in the LGTBQ Fiction category!

This news was especially gratifying to receive, as I never felt this book gained the attention that it so deserved. When I wrote the book, my intent was to reveal a love story between two opposites—extreme opposites, in this case.

Happy Pride month! What’s not to like about a parade and festival?  It is so fabulous watching the long procession of near naked men dancing on colorful decorated floats; seeing those that serve in public office, the military, and in law enforcement, marching side by side as one of us!  Pride celebrations are festivals of great music, great food, and endless exhibitors. Yes, we do know how to throw a parade and party, party, party! But Gay Pride is not just about the party now is it?

I was recently asked during an interview why I wanted to write this book and how did I choose the topic of LGBTQ youth homelessness?

The truth is, I didn’t pick it, it picked me. I’ve often said in other interviews, “my characters speak to me”. I don’t go looking for them. As I approach the completion of one book, there are times that I have no idea what it is that I’m going to write next, because no characters have come forward and spoken to me yet. Inevitably, by the time I am ready to start the next project, a character has shown up and wants their story told. Read More→

What better way to start off Spring than with the introduction of my new book, Escaping Camp Roosevelt!

If you enjoyed my previous four books containing stories brimming with real emotions and real-life situations filled with realistic life challenges and where vibrant character experience personal growth, and, of course, love, you are going to love my new book! Escaping Camp Roosevelt is an emotional and touching story of two young men, who, for very different reasons, find themselves on the streets, struggling to survive in a homeless encampment. 

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We have all heard the expression, “never judge a book by its cover”. As human’s, once upon a time, long ago, it was likely a survival mechanism to quickly assess ‘friend’ or ‘foe’. Get it wrong, or being too slow at it, there was a real possibility it would cost you your life.

I don’t believe in today’s world such an immediate assessment is as dire as it once was. But do we still do it, and why? Sure, people are killed everyday at the hands of a stranger, and I would never advocate being naïve or unaware in your surroundings, but do you assess everyone in your day to day life with a strong first impression? Consider the following situations: Read More→

Can somebody please pinch me! Is it really 2019? I have to say, 2018 brought me more excitement than I wanted. You know what they say, “be careful what you ask for.” Good and bad, I came through it all this year and believe I am a better man for it today. How much “stuff” was thrown at you in 2018? Read More→

It seems like today many people are like simmering pots ready to boil over. It doesn’t take much, perhaps a simple commercial showing the opposing candidate for an election, the evening news, or heavy traffic that can send someone into a fit of rage without notice.

Today, Road Rage is not just two people flipping each other off or madly honking their horns. All too often these days, the rage is ending in serious bodily injury and/or death. Read More→

Photo from Jeff Perla@thetravelinbum.com

No, no one died, but as my friend Jeff, over at thetravelinbum.com put it, October is the death of Summer! While mourning the loss of hot weather, poolside cocktails, and warm summer nights, we are trying not to think about the pending holidays on the horizon.

With the patio furniture put up, it’s now time to break out the creepy Halloween costumes, sticky spiderwebs, and Trick or Treat candy. Let’s not drop that casket down into the ground just yet. I might be able to use it in the cemetery display in the front yard!

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Readers often ask me about my daily routine as an author. Do I write every day? How many hours per day do I write? And, did I write when I was younger? The last question is easy and straight forward. Yes, I wrote in high school and college. However, the answer to the first two questions has changed over the years. Now, the answer to those depends on where I am in a manuscript, whether it’s plotting out the outline, writing the actual storyline, doing the final edits, or gearing up for a release.

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