Any discussion of my life must begin and end with the US Army. Pretty much all my life, I wanted to be a soldier. Having grown up a baby boomer and child of the 60’s in a rural, conservative farming community in South Georgia, the adults and authority figures of my life were veterans of WWII and/or Korea. By the time I was in elementary school, Vietnam was in full swing. All the young men were going away to fight “over there” and I watched intently when they would be added to prayer groups or given a heroes’ welcome upon returning home. My heroes in film, television and the printed page all wore uniforms. It was my life’s calling from a very early age.

I always enjoyed writing as well and excelled in my English composition classes at Hamilton Elementary School in Colquitt County, Georgia. In high school (Thomas County Central High) I wrote a few articles for a student published paper and began writing my own stories. In college (North Georgia College and State University, a military school) I thrived on writing compositions of Nazi atrocities, war propaganda and military history lessons learned.

Upon my graduation in 1980, I was commissioned a second lieutenant in military intelligence. My love of writing served me well as I wrote tens of thousands of intelligence reports and summaries over the next 26 years on active service in the US Army. While I focused on the coming of WWIII, I was surprised like everyone else in 1989 when the Berlin Wall came down (I was in Giessen, Germany, 42nd Field Artillery brigade, V US Army Corps when that happened). One year later, I was getting ready to deploy to Saudi Arabia for Operation DESERT STORM. My military life ended up dominated not by the USSR but by Saddam Hussein and Islamic Extremism.

Retiring from the Army in 2006, I now serve as the Governor’s Deputy Director, Georgia Military Affairs Coordinating Committee (GMACC).

Upon retiring from the Army, I began to pursue my love of writing to a greater degree. My first three books were all military related (see my “Published Books” section). Crossing the Line, the true account of my experiences in Iraq from DESERT STORM and IRAQI FREEDOM was published by Merriam Press in 2011.  Part of my soul is displayed on those pages.  Check it out.

I Know Why the Dogwoods Blush was my first fictional novel, a crime drama/thriller set in a modern South Georgia town. I hope you’ll read and enjoy it, then join me for more tales in the months ahead. The sequel, Dove of War, is due for a 2012 release and is my most ambitious fictional undertaking.  Dove covers centuries and will be considered controversial by many.  Keep checking this website for updated information.