Normal is overrated.
On the outside, I look pretty normal. But very little about my life has been normal.
At age seven, I was the homeschooled kid reading A Wrinkle in Time. (Not normal.) Later on, the theatre kid writing plays until 2:00 a.m. on a Saturday night instead of getting drunk on cheap beer in someone's pasture. (Not normal. But also, I wasn't popular enough to be invited to the pasture parties...)
At twenty-two, I had a degree in English Lit but believed the "conventional wisdom" that you couldn't become a full-time writer. So instead, I went into social work for eight years, working with children in foster care. (Not normal.)
In 2009, I asked a girl what she thought about adoption on only our third date. (Not normal.) But she swooned and now we've been married for 16 years with two kids who joined our love story through adoption.
When no one would hire me for an entry-level writing job, I started my own writing business. (Not normal.) In 2022, I ditched the 9-to-5 life to become a full-time writer. (Not normal.)
And now I'm the guy writing MG and YA fantasy, looking for a traditional book deal. (Definitely not normal.) But if you also think normal is overrated, just meet me at the lamppost on the other side of the wardrobe door. I'll be the one with a plate of nachos and a story to share.
Fiction
Fiction is my first love for both reading and writing. And the best fiction rings with truth. Below you'll find a brief description of my current WIPs, including two novels I'm seeking literary representation for.
YA Fiction | magical realism, coming-of-age
Born without a heart, a teenage boy in foster care runs away when a doctor discovers his condition and wants to use him for research. With the help of a young widow, an eccentric transient, and a three-legged dog who speaks Morse code, he sets out to find the truth about who he really is in the hopes of finding his birth family.
Comps: Gallant meets Remarkably Bright Creatures
MG or YA Fiction | time travel fantasy
Thirty years ago, a church van went missing, with no trace of its nine passengers: two adult chaperones and seven children. When the van mysteriously reappears, the passengers haven't aged a day and appear to be in shock since they cannot speak. The ensuing investigation provides few answers but horrifying consequences.
Note: No, this is not MG or YA, but I wanted to push myself outside of my comfort zone this year.
Comps: The Secret Library, The Rhythm of Time
Speechless | short story, horror
After learning she might have time travel powers, a teenage girl befriends an orphan boy from the 1600s via a magical sundial. When she tries to transport him to her time, the experiment goes awry. Her friend has disappeared and she's now trapped in 1613, where she learns from a mysterious priest that an ancient force is trying to take over Time itself. To fix everything and return home, she will have to steal an unfinished play by William Shakespeare that contains a dangerous spell.
Comps: Weapons meets The Changeling (Victor Lavalle, 2017)
Nonfiction
As a full-time ghostwriter and book coach, most of my bills get paid via nonfiction work for clients. However, I've also self-published a few nonfiction works that reflect my work and what I care about. If you want to learn more about my editorial services (ghostwriting, book coaching, developmental editing), you can learn more below.
Start With Story: How Great Storytellers Transform Ideas Into Impact
A couple years into ghostwriting, I recognized a trend with my clients. They often made comments like, "I'm not a natural storyteller." And yet they were full of stories once we dug deeper.
Start With Story explores the essence of storytelling as a way to communicate ideas and connect with an audience. It demystifies the process of storytelling by introducing you to the science behind stories and giving you processes to unleash your own Inner Storyteller.
Perfect for business leaders who are working on a book, developing a speaking career, or for freelance writers who want to steal some of my tricks.
If you enjoy Start With Why (Simon Sinek), The Science of Storytelling (Will Storr), or Storybrand 2.0 (Donald Miller), there's a good chance you'll enjoy this too.
The 30-Day Anxiety Journal: A Guide to Help You Release Negativity & Develop a Positive Mindset
As a former social worker and a lifelong sufferer of anxiety, depression, and su*cidal ideation, I know all too well how negative thoughts can send you into a death spiral. But after I had a panic attack at Disneyland in 2023 - the first in a long time - I decided to document what had been working for me so I could share them with others.
Individual therapy and group therapy/programs can do immense good. But you also need something for the days in between sessions. Exercises you can do in the moment that help you rewire your brain from negative to positive. If it's true that it takes 21 days to form a new habit, then 30 days helps make sure those new mental habits are locked in.
Especially if you're a writer who suffers from anxiety, the exercises here will help you process your stress, worries, fears, and make space for the positive person you want to be.
PurgaStory: 5 Strategies for Escaping the Hell of Writer's Block
This ridiculously short read presents 5 unusual strategies to help you reframe writer's block, prevent it, and keep yourself moving forward on your projects.
Perfect for writers of all experience levels who find themselves stuck and aren't sure how to get moving again.
And no, none of the strategies here are "take a break" or "set a word count goal." Screw that reductionistic crap.
The Poet Tree: A Collection of Poems from the Heart, Soul & Mind
When I first started editing, I collected a bunch of poetry I had written from 2006 to 2014 so that I could learn how to do all the steps involved in self-publishing.
Some of the poetry is decent.
Some is pretty weird.
Some is really bad.
Proceed with caution, friend.
Screen & Stage
As a theatre nerd in high school, playwriting is where I first really honed my writing craft outside of school papers. And then in college, I taught myself screenwriting to further hone my craft. In 2002 and 2003, I won TETA PlayFest for two of my one-act plays. In 2016 and 2017, one of my screenplays made it into the Top 10% of the AMPAS Nicholls Fellowship competition. And in 2018, I won the Stage 32 Feature Screenplay Competition.
I have been managed by Settebello Entertainment since 2019 and have had my scripts reviewed and considered by high level studios like Disney, Sony, Netflix, Imagine Entertainment, and JuVee Productions. In 2018, I was hired by Anova Pictures to pen a biopic (sadly killed in 2020). In 2023, another script was optioned by an indie studio, though we ended up mutually parting over artistic differences.
Golden Girl | drama, sports (R or PG-13)
Winner of the Stage 32 Feature Screenplay Competition, 2018
After her ex-teammate admits to doping, a collegiate track coach finds her own reputation on the line. Meanwhile, she decides to train a troubled teenage girl with uncanny natural talent, putting her on a collision course with her own inner demons.
Comps: The Fighter meets Chariots of Fire
Declan | biopic, sports, family (PG)
A down-on-his-luck comedian reluctantly agrees to carry out his disgraced mentor's last wishes: to spread his ashes at his favorite comedy clubs. The ensuing cross-country road trip with his mentor's disabled daughter evolves into a journey of second chances and found family.
Comps: Miracle, The Blind Side
A Stand Up Guy | comedy, road trip (R)
Quarter-finalist for the Outstanding Screenplays Competition, 2025
When the body of Elma Sands is found in a well, frenemies Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton team up to defend the accused Levi Weeks. Over the course of the dramatic two-day trial, a sordid tale emerges of sex, lies, and addiction, sparking America’s twisted love of true crime.
Comps: Silver Linings Playbook, The Invite
Tiger Lily | fantasy, family (PG)
After a disastrous encounter with the pirates of Neverland, Tiger Lily embarks on a quest that will decide the future of her tribe. But when a mysterious thief appears in Neverland, she must choose between destiny and honor.
The Manhattan Well | true story, period, crime (R or PG-13)
Born without legs below the knees, teenager Declan Farmer only wants to be part of a team. When he discovers the hard-hitting sport of sled hockey, he sets his eyes on winning gold at the Paralympic Games. Along the way, he'll have to conquer his insecurities, face loss, and discover the beauty of teamwork.
Note: Written by interviewing Declan and his family. In 2026, Declan won the ESPY Award for Best Male Athlete with a Disability after leading the US sled hockey team to an unprecedented fourth consecutive gold medal at the 2026 Paralympic Winter Games.
After a schoolteacher's wife leaves him for their marriage counselor, he begins an unlikely friendship with the counselor's wife. As their relationship develops, so do a series of unexpected consequences.
In/Fidelity | dark comedy, dark romance (R)
Comps: The Trial of the Chicago 7 meets Hamilton
Comps: Up in the Air, Little Miss Sunshine
Comps: The Jungle Book (2016), Harry Potter
What Happened to the Lightning? (And Other One-Act Plays)
When teaching myself how to edit and self-publish, I decided to anthologize five one-act plays that I wrote in high school, including both plays that won TETA PlayFest.
What Happened to the Lightning? (2003 winner of TETA PlayFest): A bitter Southern playwright who was blinded during WWII rediscovers his gift when he falls in love with his boarding home's Black maid.
Clarence: In a psychiatric hospital, an amnesiac holds conversations with the only item found with him - a teddy bear named Clarence. Charmed by his childlike manners, a sympathetic nurse tries to help him remember who he is, totally unprepared for the devastating truth.
Play Your Part: A harried high school theatre director wrangles the personalities of his teenaged cast and crew in preparation for one-act play season.
Danny: An independent, free-thinking teenage girl spurns the attention of the eccentric but well-meaning boy next door.
The Day Milly Died (2002 winner of TETA PlayFest): As their mentor lies dying, an estranged group of friends gathers at her request, forcing them to face their conflicts with one another in a tale of loss and redemption.
Heart of Tokyo | drama (PG-13)
When a lonely Japanese teenage girl learns that her father's company is moving them to America, she decides to seek the truth about the late mother she never knew.
Comps: Lost in Translation meets Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close