On this date in 2014, I finally revealed to my friends & family that I was a writer. I’d shrouded my hobby in secrecy while I worked for my first 2-3 years (I typed my first words in late 2011), because I didn’t want to be Mr. Working On A Screenplay In My Basement. But on October 11 2014, I had sold one semi-pro story (though it wouldn’t get published for another year). More importantly, I was en route to the Viable Paradise workshop, and I had to tell people why I was headed to Martha’s Vineyard for my vacation!
In the three years since Viable Paradise, I’ve had 8 short stories published (6 of them pro), with 4 more on the way. I’ve become the assistant editor of Escape Pod, where I manage an awesome team and help select stories that go out to thousands of listeners every week. I’ve joined amazing communities of writers, editors, fans, publishers, and mentors, all of whom are brilliant and incisive and empathetic in ways I strive every day to replicate.
It’s been a great journey so far, and I can’t wait to see what the next 3/30/60 years will bring!