I am a retired Marine infantry colonel and now a full-time writer living in Colorado Springs with my wife Kiwi and twin five-year-old girls, Danika Dawn and Darika Marie. I am a two-time Nebula Award Finalist, a two-time Dragon Award Finalist, and a USA Today Bestselling writer.
I published my first work back in 1978, a so-so short story titled "Secession." Since then, I have been published in newspapers, magazines, and in book format in fiction, political science, business, military, sports, race relations, and personal relations fields. I returned to writing fiction in 2009, and I currently have over 100 titles published, 80 being novels. My novelette, "Weaponized Math," was a finalist for the 2017 Nebula Award, "Fire Ant" was a finalist for the 2018 Nebula Award for Best Novella, "Integration" was a finalist for the 2018 Dragon Award for Best Military Science Fiction or Fantasy Novel, and "Sentenced to War" was a finalist for the 2021 Dragon Award in the same category.
My undergraduate degree was earned at the U. S. Naval Academy (Class of 1979), and I have attended graduate school at U. S. International University and the University of California, San Diego, earning a masters and doctorate. I am a lifetime member of the Disabled American Veterans, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the US. Naval Academy Alumni Association, and the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America where I'm serving as the Nebula Award Commissioner.
I have rather eclectic tastes. I have won awards in photography, cooking, writing, and several sports, earning national championships in rugby and equestrian events. When I'm not writing, I'm reading, cooking, going to the gym, taking my girls fishing, or traveling. I attend quite a few cons over the course of a year, and love meeting other people who love books.
I write because I love it. I only hope that others might read my work and get a bit of enjoyment or useful information out of my efforts.
