: About Me

I really hate writing these things. The concept of condensing one's life and person into an easily-digestible "sound bite" like this is tough, but here I go:

I've been reading and writing for about as long as I can remember. Both my parents are journalists, so language, both spoken and written, was always of paramount importance in our home. My first real passion for reading, however, came from comic books. Comics taught me to read, and taught me, by osmosis, the basics of good, solid storytelling. I still remember being totally absorbed in the comic stories written by Stan Lee, the writer and co-creator of such iconic characters as Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, Iron Man, the Hulk, the X-Men, and more. This love of comics, started in the mid-1960s, continues to this day.

Professionally, I've written for quite a few Pop Culture publications, including "The Comic Buyer's Guide," "Big Reel," "Classic Images," "Films of the Golden Age," "Planet Collector," and "Antique Toy World," to name just a few. No matter how many times I'm published, it's still a kick to see my name in print.

My wife, Judy, and I just bought our first house in Lewisville, Texas, where we live with our dog-and-cat menagerie, and try to live a quite, yet fulfilling, life as peaceful liberal Democrats in adisturbingly Conservative Republican area. Our time will come, however...

I love classic film, and count "The Adventures of Robin Hood," the original Japanese version of "Godzilla," and "Stagecoach," among my all-time favorites. Favorite authors include Edward Rutherford, Stephen R. Lawhead, H. P. Lovecraft, Robert E. Howard, and Charles Dickens. Musically, I'll take contemporary and traditional Celtic music over almost anything else, and if I had to chose one food to eat for the rest of my life, it would be sushi, without a doubt.

My passion is ...

Film and Film History.

I know too much about ...

Comic Books. My head is full of useless trivia on this topic.

My parents always told me ...

to clean my room (it didn't work).

My childhood ambition ...

was to be either an astronaut or a paleontologist.

My favorite memory ...

Just one? Probably my trip to Tokyo - visiting the Kabuki-za theater.

Why I write ...

It's a great way to share what I know with others. As much as I enjoy fiction, I find myself increasingly drawn to non-fiction as both a reader and a writer.

What I am reading/watching/listening to ...

The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand; Heroes Season Three; the Complete Works of Robert E. Howard, Scarlet by Stephen R. Lawhead.

My first job ...

was at age 14 in a privately-owned bookstore, The Balcony Bookshop, on Long Island. It was a great job, and I'll never forget Marsha, the owner, who was like a second parent to me.

My best moment ...

Too many to list here.

My inspiration ...

My wife.

Creative Writing > Poetry Poetry: Being trapped

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The bars of my cage are thick and fast, For I am trapped, My will is sapped, Cold steel to bind me at the last, And I am prison pent. Caged like some poor tragic beast, I cower here, Consumed by fear, Of all God's creatures, I'm the least, My time on Earth is spent. And as my cage grows smaller still - The bars move in To scourge my sin - I feel a cold and final chill... And see what my life meant. For at the last, I love my life, Now at it's end Without a friend, It stabs my heart, this deadly knife, And begins my dark descent. For I am trapped, and cannot rise, There is no key To set me ...

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