I was born in St. Louis; spent my youth as captain of rafts down spring-swollen streams and explorer of uncharted woods in a newly forming St. Louis County. With a budding interest in the fairer sex, I wrote my first piece at 14, a poem I called Women’s Hats, and the very next about three years ago, a short fiction: Cold Awakening — thus enjoying a long, if once interrupted, writing career.

Since then I have pumped out about a dozen or more additional stories — most ready for press — have a toehold in two novels, edited our newsletter, "WritersTalk," and currently hold office in the Club. I have found the association with other writers to be quite motivating, and have gained substantial insight and skill from the instructive activities in and around our South Bay Branch.

I enjoy bringing my varied, experimental, and occasionally raucous experience to a story, insinuating my view of life’s basic stuff — its achievement, the damage, and the moral ambiguity that always presents. Experience is the core of good writing, its very soul. One must live fully and pack it in; dig deep to ferret it out — after that comes the craft and the art.

In my other life, the one during that single interruption, I capped an engineering start with a business degree and for 35 years helped Space Systems Loral design and launch satellites; assisted with the raising of five kids; and participated wildly in whatever remained.