Skip to main content

About Me

Thanks to my friend and wonderful Artist Judy MayerGrieve for this portrait and for allowing me to use it. 

About Me

I've been a storyteller all my life—much to the dismay of my parents, who called it 'lying'. My adventures across Europe, Southeast Asia, and Canada have infused my writing with a rich tapestry of experiences and impressions. When my friends grew weary of my endless tales, I knew it was time to put them on paper.

I grew up in a little town in Germany, the kind of town nobody leaves because no one can see that far. I don’t have many hobbies beyond digital art, reading and making stuff up. I’ve spent my life reading books, analyzing and writing them by day and night. I love sitting in my sun room, looking out over the lake Ontario, reading, wondering how I would have written that story. 
I like beer. Bavarian beer you’ve likely never heard of.
I also like jumping out of perfectly good airplanes - I usually bring a parachute.

My Writing Journey
My literary career began with romance novels, culminating in the Soundmaster Romance Series—Romance novels with a Country Music Theme.
Last count I had written over ten of them. I am working on a list of excerpts for you to read from the first three stories in the series, "Guitars & Cadillacs", "Long Way Home", & "This Time". I am hoping to add a full list of excerpts soon. They were all written during 2000 - 2005 and are a great and entertaining read.
Head on over to the "Books" section of the website to see more details on the stories and - most importantly - the reviews!

As my interests evolved, so did my writing. I transitioned to adventure and crime stories, drawing inspiration from the eccentric characters I encountered while working with startup companies. This shift led to works like "Shadow Dancer" and my most recent series:

The Cannabis Preacher
This intriguing tale, which has grown to four "Sermons," offers a fascinating look at the rise and fall of a medical marijuana manufacturer.

Joyce A.I.
A chilling exploration of cybersecurity and personal data protection, this story delves into the terrifying potential of the information we carry in our pockets.

Ghost Mountain Gold
This financial thriller follows a young geology student who inherits an Indonesian gold mine. With friends and a renowned geologist, they use a bitcoin token to develop the mine, leading to a rollercoaster of discovery, investment, and betrayal.

The Magical Papillon Series
My latest venture into the world of cozy mysteries, this series combines intrigue with a touch of magic. The first book, "Whispers in the Attic," is not only available in print but also as an audiobook, which I had the pleasure of narrating and producing together with my brother - who happens to be an expert audio engineer.
Check out our story here.

I'm always exploring new genres and pushing my boundaries as a writer. Whether it's romance, thrillers, or cozy mysteries, my goal remains the same: to captivate readers with compelling stories and unforgettable characters.
Feel free to explore my books section for more details on my works, including reviews from readers. Thank you for joining me on this literary journey!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

DIY Audiobook. A bit of equipment, good advice and lots of patience

I want to create an Audiobook - should I?  Ever since the release of book one in the "Cannabis Preacher" series of thrillers, that question has been on my mind.  The "Cannabis Preacher" books were quite long. To produce an audiobook from each of the four, including voice actors and audio production with a turn key service, I was looking at around $15,000 per book. Financially, that was a non-starter for me at the time. That amount represented a LOT of books and audiobooks to sell to recover the investment, and I shelved my plan again.  With the popularity of the "Magical Papillon" cozy mystery series, I found myself coming back to the growing popularity of audiobooks. I knew that audiobooks could reach a wider audience and catered to busy readers who prefer listening while multitasking. The idea of bringing my characters to life through narration excited me, as it offered a new dimension to my storytelling.  The cozy mysteries were only 60-65,000...
Post a Comment
Read more

Writers, Don’t Be a Slave to Word Count: Let the Story Speak for Itself

As writers, we’ve all asked ourselves that nagging question: “Is my book long enough? Too short? How long should it be?” It’s easy to get caught up in the numbers, obsessing over whether our work fits neatly into arbitrary word count guidelines. But here’s the truth: Word count should never dictate the quality of your story. The heart of storytelling lies in the narrative itself, not in how many pages it spans. The Pressure of Word Count From NaNoWriMo goals to publishing industry standards, writers face constant reminders about “acceptable” word counts. A novel must be 80,000-100,000 words. A novella shouldn’t exceed 40,000. Short stories have their own limits. These guidelines are helpful, but they can also be stifling. We begin to pad scenes unnecessarily or trim meaningful moments just to conform to these benchmarks. I’ve been there. I’ve wrestled with my manuscript, forcing it to stretch or condense to meet expectations. And you know what happened? The authenticity of the...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Glamorous Life of a Writer (Or, Mostly Just Staring at a Screen)

There’s a persistent rumor floating around that writers live thrilling, adventure-filled lives. Perhaps it’s all the dramatic author portraits on book jackets—moody, windswept, staring off into the distance as if contemplating the fate of the world. Perhaps it’s the movies, where writers are always dashing off to Paris to write the next great novel in a charming café (suspiciously never interrupted by spotty Wi-Fi or overpriced croissants). I hate to break it to you, but real writing? Not quite so cinematic. In reality, my writing days mostly involve staring intensely at my screen, willing the words to appear through sheer force of will. Occasionally, I engage in deep philosophical debates with myself—such as whether my protagonist should turn left or right down a hallway (the fate of the fictional world depends on it). And let’s not forget the highly intellectual process of naming characters, which can take hours because somehow every single name I think of is either the name of ...
Post a Comment
Read more