Since time immemorial (or anyway, as long as I can remember), I have been fascinated by stories and storytelling. I started writing when I was in middle school and basically have never stopped, though most of my fiction has yet to see the light of day. I’m a big fan of Lego and have been occasionally known to commit gaming both at the table, in a video game, and at LARPs.

I started working as a freelance editor in 2010 after being downsized, mainly as a way to help bring in a little money while trying to find a job. That turned into a full career, as it turns out a lot of people want to hand me money in exchange for the expertise I picked up in research, phrasing, characterization, and networking.

This lead to being a convention speaker as well, where I went from “People actually want to hear me talk?” to “I can’t believe this many people want to hear me talk.” I can’t imagine ever being jaded at the sight of a standing-room-only crowd who heard I might know what I’m doing. Thank you, everyone. You are literally the reason I do this. I wish I still had more time and ability to go to conventions, but I will announce my public appearances as soon as I am able. 

In 2014 I was hired as a full-time nonfiction editor, seduced away by an amazing package that allowed me to still edit fiction as well as attend even more conventions than I had before. The work load for that was interesting, to say the least, and maintaining the blog was difficult; in fact, the site effectively went dormant between 2018 and 2023.

In May 2015, I founded another blog, The Catholic Geeks, an opinion/review site that looks at things that fall under the heading of either “geeky” or “Roman Catholic,” preferably both. That blog also fell by the wayside due to other concerns, but I intend to restart posting over there as well. 

In 2018, I got married to a wonderful lady who puts up with me (even she doesn’t know how), who was an occasional guest here on Novel Ninja, as well as over at The Catholic Geeks, and now on her own blog.

Unfortunately, I once again got downsized, this time a week before my wedding. We were barely starting to get back on our feet when the pandemic hit and the lockdowns hit harder. On the other hand, the Lady Ninja did publish her own sci-fi police procedural, which has recently been picked up by Tuscany Bay Books. (Not to be confused with the infamous Tuscany Press I once roasted on this blog, the ashes of which still get a surprising number of hits per year.)

(Please note that the link to my wife’s book is an Amazon Affiliate link, so buying a copy through that link is like tipping twice. Or even three times, if you leave a review for her. Don’t you love efficiency?)

My family is still crawling out from several years of setbacks, but we’re getting there. We’ve been joined by the bundles of joy and upheaval that parts of the Internet know as Munchkin and his little brother Rascal, who keep us busy and well-supplied in chaos. We hope to bring you more articles, reviews, and stories for years to come.

If you wish to contact me, you can send me an email through this impressively-crafted link.