I was born as a baby, but soon grew to be a lad. I published my first commercial work at age 17, a personal essay in Muzzleloader Magazine, and went on to win regional writing contests. I studied English literature and composition at Weber State University, and got an M.A. in history from Utah State University. After working in living history museums for ten years I shifted to teaching in public schools. My first book, Plain But Wholesome, took two years to write and two more to publish, finally coming out in 2012.