I grew up on the plains of Colorado, not far from where my protagonist in The Maqlû, Alex Scire, grew up. I spent much of my youth studying, swimming, weeding, and bucking hay. I eventually got a scholarship and went to an all-boys boarding high school in St. Louis where, except for all the studying :), I had a great time. On weekends I'd go canoeing, spelunking, play tennis, (study some more) and work for my scholarship, but it was also the first time I got to watch television. And, it's where I learned to 'Never Say Never' when presented with an opportunity.

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From there, I went to West Point, where I spent most of my time studying, training, and swimming. It was a great adventure allowing me to do things like jump off a 10-meter diving board (won't ever do that again), go scuba diving, learn all sorts of recreational sports (from golf to bowling), drive a tank, rappel, slide for life, fire a howitzer and all sorts of other big guns, repel into a glacier, and go screeing down a rocky mountainside. Of course, it was also where I had to take boxing class, which I hated, because I sucked at it. 

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After graduation, I spent a year going to all sorts of Army schools, including Ranger School, where he spent a miserable 63 days (worse than boxing) and Jump School. The rest of my time in the military was in Korea (a great time, but one that me appreciate the hardships depicted on MASH), and the great Northwest.

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After leaving the Army, I joined the corporate world and spent the rest of my career going through widely various roles.

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I count the years I was a single dad to four kids (two boys and two girls) as the best in my life, even though it included learnings like - how hard it is to shop for clothes for girls, and the joys of a new washing machine. I'm very proud of my kids who have become a medical professional in the Navy, a grade-school teacher, a wildlife biologist, and a non-profit conservationist.

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I live with my wife, Martha, in the Kentucky Wildlands, splitting my time between working on his forestland, writing, and continuing my international travels to research locations for the series. 

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The picture above is the author on a research trip for book 1 in Lamanai, Belize (the setting for most of The Palantir). Specifically it's at the ball court, just opposite from the High Temple which is a setting for one of the scenes in the book. 

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