My love of books began early and I credit my mom for that. She hauled me to every library branch in my hometown of Amarillo, Texas, and never batted an eye when I’d carry out a stack of books almost too heavy for me to carry. She wasn’t quite as stoic about the late fines.

Where the Red Fern Grows was the first book I ever read a second time upon immediately finishing. I did so through blurry tear-filled eyes because I wanted to get back to the joy of a boy and his pups. I learned then the power of emotionally laden words and I try to infuse an array of emotions into my own works to this day.

Much of my writing is still set in the windy Texas Panhandle, though I now call sunny Southern California home.