Quick Bio:                    
Born: Erie, PA (Lovingly described as “Dreary Erie, the mistake on the lake)

Grew up: Pacific Northwest:

Travels: Fiji, China, Egypt, London, Italy, Germany, Canada, Mexico.

College: University of Oregon. B.S. in Teaching

Work history: Teaching, Sales.

Author Heroes: J.R.R Tolkien, C.S.Lewis, and Jim Rubart.

My Story:                               

My favorite trilogy is the Lord of the Rings because I like to think we are all on a quest. Much like Frodo was given a huge burden of destroying the ring, we too have burdens in our lives to overcome. I don’t know what ring you have to bear, maybe like me, it’s abandonment, maybe it’s never feeling good enough, maybe it’s feeling lonely, frustrated, or broken. Whatever your burden is, I understand because I went through many of my own and achieved much victory.
I write about how we have a good Dad and we are all adopted into His family, because my quest started with adoption. 

Much like Frodo, I was living a life of selfishness. I thought I was satisfied in my life of solitude but I knew something was missing. I was heading down a road of self preservation, but much like the Wizard Gandalf, who disrupted Frodo’s plans, God had a plan for me.

My Dad left when I was 15, but before he did he secured living arrangements for me to live with a family who I was to later call my family. These people saw through my selfish nature and chose to embrace me anyway. For the next three years they shared with me about how there was a God who loved me, and invited me to be a part of a loving family.

I was embraced before I was worthy, and that led me to accept my place in the family of God.

They equipped me in the scriptures by teaching me about Gods love. Later, when I turned 18, I moved down to Youth With a Mission, a missionary school to be taught me what it meant to be a disciple of Christ. Part of that was breaking off old lies I believed about myself and replacing them with the truth. I let go of many of the pains in my life, broke down the strongholds the enemy built, and picked up my sword to fight against future attacks.

I was equipped to be a healthy member of Gods family. With their support, I threw my burdens of selfishness into the fires of mount doom, and want to help others do the same.

After the equipping phase of the school, I was eager to share what I learned with others. We took a two month trip to Fiji where we were able to share about how God is a good dad and he wants others to enter into his family. Since Fiji, I’ve traveled to China, Egypt, England, Germany, Italy, and wherever I can to invite others into the family of God.

It’s my desire to Expand the family, I do that with traveling the world and I do that with my writing. 

I write from the deep place of brokenness. My characters are flawed, abandoned, and never feel good enough But along the way they experience a family they never new they needed. The path to freedom is sometimes long and challenging. I can’t carry those things for you but when you are weary, like Sam the hobbit said, “I can carry you.”

You ARE in God’s family. We can Embrace ourselves and each other in love, and allow God to Equip us for every good work, so we can Expand our family to others.

I hope my writing will encourage you to fight your journey to Mount Doom. Pick up one of my books and let me be your Sam.