About Me

Background & More

   I was born in Knox County, Indiana, where my family roots go back to the 1880's and where this novel takes place.  Hailing from a family of educators now in our fourth generation, I grew up in a number of small Indiana towns where my father was the local principal.  Upon graduating from Indiana University, I began my career as an English teacher at Speedway High School in Indianapolis.  Later I became an assistant high school principal, a principal at two Bloomington, Indiana, middle schools, and an adjunct professor at Indiana University.  I live in Bloomington, Indiana, with my wife Teresa, a former teacher, and among our five adult children and grandchildren.  However, I still have emotional and physical ties to Knox Country as the owner of the original Glenn family farm, part of which is in the notorious Hell's Neck.   

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     My writing began during my administrative career as I wrote articles for newsletters, professional journals, and newspapers.  However, it was not until an unfortunate event took place in retirement that I attempted the unknown: writing a novel.  I was diagnosed with prostate cancer, and after surgery I found myself at home alone in the middle of February.  Our children were grown and out of the house, my wife was still teaching, and I realized I couldn't put off something I had let simmer in the back of my mind for over forty years.  Prematurely, I had only a setting and some characters in mind, but no plot.  I sat at my computer, procrastinating no longer, and decided to write a chapter.  Two years later, I had a plot and the first draft of Purcell Station.  Three more years of revisions resulted in publication, and then the fun started: talking to book clubs, book signings, and media interviews.