Look and Listen

Biography

"American by birth, Husker by the grace of God" I was born in Lincoln, NE, in 1960. (I’m OLD, ain’t I?) "How ‘bout them Hawks" I have lived most of my life in Iowa, and am a graduate of the University of Iowa, where I earned my B.A. in journalism and religion. I was also accepted into the UofI's presitigious Writer's Workshop M.F.A. Program. "Vetema vas" I was a token Brit-Swede growing up in an ethnic neighborhood of Cedar Rapids called Czech Village. "Wait for the red light" I was named captain of Hayes Elementary’s Safety Patrol in 6th grade. It has all been downhill ever since. "I know what I want to be when I grow up" I decided I wanted to be a writer at age nine while writing my first mystery novel, an anthology of one-page mysteries called "The Cases of Ace." "Hey, kid! Wanna buy a comic?" I started collecting comic books at age 15. I began trying to break into the comics industry as a writer when I was 18. I finally sold my first comics series, Street Heroes 2005, in 1987 to Malibu Graphics. "Charity begins in the haunted home" Between 1976-1982, I designed, aided the construction, or assisted in the operation of Haunted Houses for the March of Dimes and Muscular Dystrophy in Cedar Rapids and Des Moines. Estimated amount raised: over $100,000. "Behind every good man…" I married my wife in 1990. "Where did you come from?" My daughter was born in 1994. "If you want something done right…" My first published novel, "King of Harlem," was originally published in 2001 as a print-on-demand (POD) paperback from Writer’s Club Press.

Inspiration

According to my Kindergarten report card, I have been telling stories at lease since I was five years old. I cannot remember a time when I didn't love books and stories and writing. So if something besides God has influenced me to become a writer, I do not remember what it is. In my mind I have ALWAYS been a writer. Like most writers who grew up in the 1960s and 1970s, movies were a big influence on me. However, unlike most of those writers, I was influenced more by old movies (especially the classic Universal horror films) then the new ones coming out at the time. I was also influenced by old time radio, a great crop of fantastic TV series (e.g., "The Green Hornet," "Space Ghost," "Batman," "Doctor Who"), and wonderful literature, particularly the works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Edgar Allan Poe, and Clive Cussler. When I was 24 I realized that my writing left a lot to be desired, not from a lack of practice but education. So I returned to college and earned a B.A. in journalism and religion. I learned a lot about writing from my journalism classes, but even more from my religion classes, which concetrated on reading and comprehending not only biblical literature but other ancient classics. Since college I have discovered Dashiell Hammett and H.P. Lovecraft. If my inspirations have taught me anything it is that you are never too old to discover a new inspiration that can make you a better writer.