I'm a native Californian who has never lived anywhere else. Raised in Los Angeles, but moved to the Bay Area after UCLA and (with very minor exceptions) have lived my entire adult life in the forested hills above Oakland - a remarkably beautiful place that most people have no idea exists. I went to law school and became a lawyer, but couldn't stick with it. Spent some solid years in tech, mostly in 3D computer graphics. But a writer is a writer is a writer - there's just no escaping it. It took a lot of work, but I finally got my fiction to the level where it's fair to ask for the precious time and attention of the serious reader. I've been married for a good long time, and have a daughter who is just graduating college.