I’m no fan of boxes and brands. I color outside the lines and off the page.
- By Day: I’m a CHRO with 20 years of management experience in the Americas, Europe, and Asia. I build cultures, improve performance, and help people navigate their careers. A bio, testimonials, and media highlights can be found here.
- By Night: I write philosophical fiction and snarky humor. I also hang with my awesome wife, Melissa and daughter, Vienna.
I try to make things better than I found them and live by the motto: Learn, Teach, Rinse, Repeat.
FAQ
When I was in 6th grade my English teacher read us Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach. It blew my little mind. I wanted to be that bird so badly that I later took flying lessons. However, I quickly realized that someone, who has more points on his driver’s license than he had on the SAT, should probably avoid hurtling himself through the air in a winged Miata. You can only be bad at landing once.
When I saw the last scene of Stand By Me, the one where the story folds back on the narrator and you see him typing the words that just made you cry, I realized writing had to be part of this lifetime.
When I was a kid my father gave me a couple of his old Billy Joel records. It was my first “grown up” gift from him. I really enjoy his music and weave at least one mention of him into every book as a nod to my old man.
All lies and false propaganda. 3:47 Ha! It’s just a highly ridiculous time of the morning is all.
After trying on my comedic alter ego, Jackson Holiday and writing my second career book, I’ll likely return to proper fiction. Of course I could pen a 12-part mini-series entitled, Doing Shots: The Untold Story of Lithuanian’s Olympic Shot Put Trials.
I’ve benefited from a series of great mentors, teachers and coaches. Their input shaped who I am and any success I’ve achieved. I believe in the value of coaching and run a practice focused on helping others achieve success. Learn more at www.PlotlineLeadership.com.
I’m one of those annoying morning people – up at 5, at the gym shortly thereafter, at work by 7 or so. I follow a similar pattern on weekends. When you focus on writing from 6am till noon most weekends you can get a lot accomplished and still have a life. Plus my wife is super cool and keeps me balanced so I don’t overdo things.
It drives me crazy when people say, “everything happens for a reason.” That seems so defeatist. More accurate to me is that people assign reasons to all that happens. I can’t blame them though—the first is a great deal more comforting.
- I listen to music (usually one album over and over) BEFORE I write. When writing, I can’t read or listen to anything else. Hence my tendency to seem a bit of an airhead now and then.
- I hate whistling. Whistling is the musical equivalent of wearing a toupee. Your song choice, your delivery, your stage presence… it all sucks. Just stop it.
- I nearly accepted a position as a Secret Service agent. Bad eyesight and bad jokes closed that door. Still, the two-year interview process was incredible. Those guys and gals are amazing.