My story begins with understanding that there is a monster inside us all. We all have flaws that trip us up as we try to journey forwards, and so you could say our 'weaknesses' create the monster holding us back.

I began writing to deal with such a monster, and I learnt that writing well requires someone to embrace the darker memories of the past, and wrestle with pains you would prefer to forget.

You can find strength in confronting pain, accepting wrongdoings, and finding the faith to forgive yourself and others. The same is true for characters in stories. They are the same souls who gain the strength to forge brilliant swords and raise these blades against the world’s beastly temptations, and charming deceptions.

Your strength can be literal, and drive your body to fight for justice with courage and precision; to cleave through the weak without remorse and carve a path for others to follow.

You may find strength in learning to embrace emotion, to trust another soul, and to build the courage to care for another's heart. This is the strength needed to heal, to give, and to understand another.

Lastly, after battle, blood, tears, and in victory or defeat there are those whose company lifts our spirits. They dance, they laugh, they drink and eat with giddy smiles inviting everyone to celebrate the end of a chapter and welcome the possibilities of a new day.

These characters all play a role in my stories because they have a role in my life. I have needed others to lead the way, others to heal me, and friends to laugh with when everything seemed grey. I’m stubborn, idealistic, and ambitious, and would have worked myself into an early grave without their support. Thank you to my friends and my family.

The writing itself is a product of wrestling with myself, and listening to how others wrestle with themselves. Learning how to forgive and burn away darker elements of your soul, while building the strength to withstand difficulty and persist in the face of surmounting odds. My characters embody the internal struggle of good and evil. You are never simply one or the other.

I write to show others that there are strengths in all of us, but only because we are weak. Some people are objective and decisive, but they tend to do poorly with emotions and make for terrible caregivers, while gentle and nurturing people often lack the aggression needed to teach proper discipline, and to follow through with enforcing appropriate consequences.

After 5 years of researching personality, deconstructing literature, exposing vulnerabilities, and fighting against self-doubt, I can share my work. You can download the first chapter of the latest novel for no charge at: Chapter One: Knock Knock. Enjoy!