About Chris

I am thrilled to be on this Author journey. It has been a dream of mine for years, and now things are starting to come together. Does that mean I've stopped dreaming? NO! I continue to dream about what might come next. Being named winner for Westerns in the 2020 American Fiction Awards (American BookFest) is an honor as well as a motivator. I am grateful that my book is held with such high regard and I feel challenged to write at the highest levels as I produce subsiquent books in the series. The picture books I write, the novels I create, or the campfire stories I tell fan the flames for my desire to share stories with the world. Where will I be a year from now? That's the million dollar question. For now, I'm taking each day as they come, making the most out of the time gifted to me, and of course, I will be writing (and writing and writing...). 

I was a teacher for 23 years and, while I do not have a classroom now, I still want to reach out to kids of all ages. Exploring creativity, imagination and self-confidence played a major role in my daily lessons and I feel that it is so important to keep these skills alive and growing in children of ALL AGES. It is OK to pretend. It is OK to dress the part. It is OK to dream and create and perform. Live these dreams and hold on to the feelings you had when they were created. Those sparks of creativity only have two options...to burn out, or to grow into a raging blaze of imagination. Winning the Connie Wootton Excellence in Teacher award in 2019 really culminated and validated the work I've done over the years and allowed me to look back and reflect on all that I have a accomplished. I am proud to call myself a teacher. 

I love my family! My wife and two sons have given me the energy, love, and trust I need to pursue a #writerslife. They are my foundation of happiness and joy. While each impact me in different ways, the ingredients we have in our relationships always form the perfect recipe for love. Watching my boys grow up, exceptionally too fast, has been a joy and a reward and I am so blessed that they are with me and supporting me as I find my way as a writer. And I can't say enough about my wife. The gifts she has given me through our 26 years (and counting) are immesureable, and to now support me when there is no guarantee of success? They will love me no matter what, and I will work until my fingers bleed and success pours over them because this is my chance, my time, It's a wonderful gift from them and I don't plan on wasting it.