Why I Started Writing:

Writing bullied its way into my life. I was first published when a middle school teacher submitted one of my writing assignments to the teen page of a regional newspaper. In high school another teacher encouraged me to study journalism, but I had no interest. Writing was work and I had other goals for life.

I planned to pursue an adventurous missionary path. Surprise! Surprise! Missionaries had to write newsletters. (This was when newsletters were typed and mimeographed.) My attitude toward writing changed, though, when I attended St Davids Christian Writers’ Conference in Pennsylvania. I left that conference as a writer, and from that day I never doubted my call to minister through writing. I have been, though, a yo-yo writer. I chafed at interruptions but the circumstances that halted my writing provided material for the next writing project. Through all of life’s smooth paths and upheavals, Jeremiah’s words, “His word was as a fire, burning in my heart,” have kept me writing articles, blogs, and books.

Authors Who Have Influenced Me:

My all-time favorite writer is Calvin Miller. Other Christian favorites include Henri Nouwen, AW Tozer, Mark Batterson, and Michael Horton. Fiction favorites are Lee Child, Steve Martini, John Grisham, Lee Carver, and David Baldacci.

Books I Have Written:

I wrote Successful Mission Teams: A Guide for Volunteers and co-wrote two other nonfiction books: Run to the Roar: Stories About Facing Touch Challenges Head-On and Construction Industry Guide to OSHA (a real page-turner). I’ve also ghostwritten books for two people who self-published.

What I'm Working On Now:

I’m putting the finishing touches on my first novel Green Flash—the story of a maverick pilot who joins a mission team as a cover for a diamond heist in an Afro-Caribbean country that is on the verge of revolution. Green Flash is under contract with Elk Lake Publishing.