About

In a sentence: I grew up on a farm in Umbarger, Texas, which had a Catholic church, a post office, a grain elevator, and a liquor store but lacked a school, so I went to school in nearby Canyon from Kindergarten through Bachelor’s, earning a degree in English and philosophy, before getting work in Amarillo as a technical writer, an ad copy writer, a high school language arts teacher, an appraiser of real estate, and a writer of the literary kind; however, the varieties in which a person makes a living are hardly a biography, so more weight should be given to the relationships I’ve maintained over the years, especially with my wife and three kids for whom the living is made.

Since this is a professional website, you’re probably here to find out about the writing. Swing over to the Publications page for an up-to-date list of pieces that have landed in a publication. Or swing the other way onto the Commonplace page to see what I’m reading. Finally, if you’re interested, the Shop will occasionally have some writing for sale.

I’m not a salesman.

I used to write ad copy and developed an allergy to it. When I try to use words to sell something, I break out in hives and my throat swells shut. However, because I write and one of the goals of writing is to communicate with people, and the effort to communicate comes at a cost of time and love (both of which cannot be compensated), and in this case paper, ink, and a designer with considerable skill— yes, because of those costs, I do have some books for sale here to recoup some of that cost and maybe have a little extra towards the next effort. Buy one of them or not. You’re a smart person capable of making good decisions. You don’t need anyone telling you what to do.