__ It all started as a baby on the driveway—that’s when my mother noticed I was eating gravel. Later on I collected rocks. Then I went to college and spent six years studying rocks, getting B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees in geology from the University of Western Ontario and University of Toronto. I hired on with a mining company and spent the next 18 years living in bush camps and hotel rooms, prowling forests and deserts, looking for gold and silver and copper (in fact, I discovered the Gold Canyon Mine in Nevada in 1987). But as my travel time inched toward 75 percent, with the certainty of being deployed to the Third World for months at a time, I decided it was time to have a real life with my wife and then-two-year-old son, so I became a writer (poof).
That was 16 years ago—I still get the urge to break rocks in the spring, but that doesn’t last very long, so I guess the career transition is complete. And seeing my first article in print was as thrilling as finding the gold mine, another sign I made a good career move.
I love the freedom and creativity my job provides. I’m a full-time freelance writer who writes for a variety of audiences, from scholars to kids. Specialties include technology, science, business, history, health and medicine, personality, travel, entertainment, and demystifying the technical or academic. I have written five nonfiction books (three science, two American history, one award-winner), all of which have been well received and can be found on amazon.com. My story, “Making Room for Shooting Stars,” was recently republished by Chicken Soup for the Soul in its new 101 Best Parenting Stories, which proves I have a sensitive side. . . .
Much of my writing is business writing and marketing/communications work for a wide range of companies, from nonprofits to start-ups to corporate giants like Kohler. I was the editor of Business Watch, a Madison business publication, for three years. I enjoy writing about business because the topics/issues are diverse yet interconnected, and of course ever-changing. Favorite subjects include quality improvement, best practices, lean principles, planning, risk management, innovation, HR, and legal.
I am always seeking out new and challenging projects of any size. It’s especially rewarding to be part of a project in its earliest stages, because that’s where team dynamics are established, where creativity is hopefully overflowing, and where I stand to learn the most. I am, essentially, a storyteller—my job is to tell a truthful story in a compelling way, with the right amount of drama (there is drama in every story!) that inspires and motivates the audience. Although I have received many, it still makes my day to get a note that says I have made a difference.
That was 16 years ago—I still get the urge to break rocks in the spring, but that doesn’t last very long, so I guess the career transition is complete. And seeing my first article in print was as thrilling as finding the gold mine, another sign I made a good career move.
I love the freedom and creativity my job provides. I’m a full-time freelance writer who writes for a variety of audiences, from scholars to kids. Specialties include technology, science, business, history, health and medicine, personality, travel, entertainment, and demystifying the technical or academic. I have written five nonfiction books (three science, two American history, one award-winner), all of which have been well received and can be found on amazon.com. My story, “Making Room for Shooting Stars,” was recently republished by Chicken Soup for the Soul in its new 101 Best Parenting Stories, which proves I have a sensitive side. . . .
Much of my writing is business writing and marketing/communications work for a wide range of companies, from nonprofits to start-ups to corporate giants like Kohler. I was the editor of Business Watch, a Madison business publication, for three years. I enjoy writing about business because the topics/issues are diverse yet interconnected, and of course ever-changing. Favorite subjects include quality improvement, best practices, lean principles, planning, risk management, innovation, HR, and legal.
I am always seeking out new and challenging projects of any size. It’s especially rewarding to be part of a project in its earliest stages, because that’s where team dynamics are established, where creativity is hopefully overflowing, and where I stand to learn the most. I am, essentially, a storyteller—my job is to tell a truthful story in a compelling way, with the right amount of drama (there is drama in every story!) that inspires and motivates the audience. Although I have received many, it still makes my day to get a note that says I have made a difference.