About Me

I was born in Cleveland, Ohio and studied business and accounting at the University of Dayton, Ohio.  On graduating I went to work with a public accounting firm where I spent almost 30 years, retiring as a partner from the Tokyo Japan office in 2001.  I was a Certified Public Accountant, Certified Fraud Examiner and Certified Information Systems Auditor.

After leaving Japan I moved to Auckland, New Zealand.  In 2003 I earned an MA in English from the University of Auckland and since then have done post graduate study in world literatures, including Japanese, Korean  and Chinese.  I’ve also taken courses in music, history and philosophy.

My novel Identities was published in October 2012.  It is a satirical look at contemporary business, corporate greed, consumerism, materialism, and the dangers of building a life around an artificially constructed identity.

My second novel, I Too, was published in December 2016.  I Too is an exploration of the issues dividing society today told from the perspectives of three friends.  Ben, Paul, and Ridge were best friends growing up, but their lives diverged. They try to rekindle their friendship but encounter challenges and each must choose between what they think they want to have and what they really value in life.  I Too explores the issues of polarisation of society, income inequality, materialism, dehumanisation, democracy and personal responsibility.

My story “Taking Off With Buddha” was published in I Should Have Just Stayed Home, a collection of humorous travel disaster stories.  My short, satirical poem “Evening” was published in the Blackmail Press Crossed Cultures issue, a special issue focusing on diversity and multiculturalism.  I had a short piece published in the James Joyce Quarterly and have also written an essay featuring a novel interpretation of one of the chapters of Joyce’s Ulysses entitled “The Significance of Mr. Bloom’s Route in Lotus Eaters.”

A good part of my writing is based on my work experiences.  My novels, By The Numbers and Identities are about how peoples’ drive for success and material gain can cause more harm than good.  Many of my short stories, especially “Bus Ride,” and “The Homecoming” study this same theme from different perspectives.

Several of my other short stories, and the short novel The Adventures of Christine and Tyler, are speculative fiction because some stories just don’t work in an urban or business environment.  Don’t look for any fancy technology or swashbuckling heroes.

In addition to writing, I enjoy building model ships.  Also, my wife and I are trustees of the CUE Haven Community Trust, a restored native NZ forest north of Auckland.  The property is a wetland/forest reserve and environmental education resource for the community to use and enjoy.  The land had been used as a dairy farm for many years and since 2009 we have been working with the community to restore it.