About the Author

I was born in Santa Monica, CA. As a child of seven, I went to work in the movie industry as a stand-in for Robert Blake in the Thin Man series, starring William Powell and Myrna Loy. My one on-screen appearance was in an adaptation of Ring Lardner’s Butch Minds the Baby (1942) with Virginia Bruce and Broderick Crawford (look fast and you’ll see a cute little Italian kid amid a bunch of other cute little Italian kids).

At the age of 10, I changed careers and went into sales, hawking soft drinks and peanuts on Santa Monica Beach. By high school, I had advanced to washing dishes in a local malt shop. With that stellar background, I entered the Roman Catholic priesthood, in which I served for 18 years, the last seven in Lafayette, CA. Another career change triggered my professional writing life. My first three nonfiction books sold immediately to Winston Press, Minneapolis, MN. Convinced that getting published was easy, I undertook writing my first novel, A Love Forbidden. After eight years, the book was finally published in Canada. This year, I published my twelfth book, The Soul of Art (nonfiction).

In between, I’ve written freelance features for the Contra Costa Times and Total Health Magazine. I’ve been a writer-for-hire in the mail-order/online education industry (including Ashworth College, Norcross, GA), and reviewed books for US Catholic Magazine (print and online).

I have served two 2-year terms as president of the Mt. Diablo Branch of the California Writers Club and currently serve on the board of directors. Though past the usual retirement age, I am a semi-retired lay minister at Christ the King Catholic Church, Pleasant Hill, CA.

I’ve recently published my ninth novel, Inspector Javert: at the Gates of Hell (available on Amazon and through your local bookstore). It’s really a challenge to write a novel whose main character is himself the creation of another novelist. In this case, the master himself, Victor Hugo. I’m proud of the finished product.

Available via your local bookseller. Also on Amazon at:
https://www.amazon.com/Inspector-Javert-Gates-Wisdom-Mis%C3%A9rables-ebook/dp/B09GWFBR2Z/ref=sr_1_1?crid=32AODNZY7MQ66&keywords=inspector+javert&qid=1639423849&sprefix=inspector+ja%2Caps%2C227&sr=8-1