Author Biography

I retired early from a successful public service career to live and travel in central Mexico, where I was lucky enough to research and write seven cover stories for El Ojo del Lago, Mexico’s most widely read English-language magazine, along with a dozen and a half e-zine articles. This success gave me the confidence to consider taking on longer works, like writing novels.

Two trips to Spain, and research into the country’s past, inspired a series of novels set in 10th Century Islamic Spain during a little known time in history when Muslims, Jews, and Christians created a harmonious society based upon religious tolerance. 

Research led me to discover the Umayyad Caliphate, the most advanced society in Europe during the 10th century. Maria Rosa Menocal’s nonfiction book, The Ornament of the World, introduced me to Hasdai Shaprut, Jewish Grand Vizier and Foreign Minister of Andalusia as well as personal physician to Caliph Abd al-Rahman III. 

I took a break between the second and third novels of The Andalusian Trilogy to research and write a standalone dystopian  novel, The Sperm King. I took the scientific evidence presented in Shanna H. Swan’s nonfiction book, Countdown, which suggests that infertility may imperil the future of the human race, and combined it with the potential disastrous effects of global warming to imagine a future dysfunctional world.

Another interest of mine is organic gardening. I draw strength and sustenance from nature, and the physicality is a good balance to time spent doing research and writing. 

I also play around with the guitar and write songs (in a variety of styles). The songs are little stories that I hear along with their melodies. A collaboration with Serbian vocalist Jovana can be heard free at Soundcloud.com using the playlist title Jovana’s Mix.