About Me

  • About Me: In the words of the great Zaphod Beeblebrox, "I'm just a guy." I've been around the block a time or two. In fact, enough times that my grandfather once pondered, after reviewing my CV, that I "either have a widely diversified education, experiential and employment background...or that I simply can't hold a job" I'm still not certain which is the more accurate observation. I live and write in Pittsburgh, PA, USA, with my wife and our three cats. Between us we have four children and five grandchildren. I still don't know what I want to be when I grow up.

Books

  • Favorite Books: A Wager of Blood, Doctor Zhivago, Dune and pre-Dune Series, Foundation Series, Gone With the Wind, Harry Potter Series, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Series, Les Miserables, Outlander Series, River God, Salem's Lot, Sometimes I hear Voices, The Stand, The Mummy or Ramses the Damned
  • Favorite Authors: Douglas Adams, Isaac Asimov, Tom Clancy, J. W. Coffey, Catherine Coulter, Michael Creighton, Ken Follett, Dianne Gabaldon, Frank Herbert, Jack Higgins, Victor Hugo, Stephen King, Ned Lord, Margaret Mitchell, James Patterson, Boris Pasternak, Edgar Allen Poe, Ann Rice, J.K. Rowling, Bram Stoker, Wilbur Smith, and so on
  • Favorite Genres: Sci-fi, Detective
  • Favorite Characters: Harry Potter, L'estat, Kay Scarpetti, Alex Cross, Eve Dallas, Lou Boldt, Arthur Dent, King Arthur, Ian Malcolm. Sean Dillon, others
  • Favorite Quotes: "And then, one Thursday, nearly two thousand years ago after one man had been naild to a tree for saying how great it would be to be nice to people for a change, a girl sitting on her own in a small cafe in Rickmansworth suddenly realized what it was that had been going wrong all this time, and she finally knew how the world could be made a good and happy place. This time it was right, it would work, and no one would have to get nailed to anything. Sadly, however, before she could get to a phone to tell anyone about it, a terrible stupid catastrophe occurred, and the idea was lost forever. But this is not her story." Douglas Adams - Preface to the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
  • Recent Reads: A Wager of Blood by J.W. Coffey

Travel

  • Places I love: Holland, Fort Myers, Hotlanta, Ipswich
  • Places I've been: Holland, Florida, WVa, MA, PA
  • Places to see before I die: Vienna for the Strauss Music Festival
  • Dream Vacation: Caribbean Cruise or return to Holland

Music

  • Favorite Artists: Andre Rieu, Beatles, Eric Clapton, John Williams, Diana Krall, Glen Miller, Duke Ellington, Yani, Clannad, Enya, Paul McCartney, Elton John
  • Favorite Albums: 1, Sgt. Pepper, Unplugged, Live at the Acropolis, Digital Duke, Live in the New World
  • Favorite Genre: Big Band/Swing
  • Favorite Songs: In the Mood, A Train, Blackbird
  • Favorite Lyrics: I've Got the World on a String
  • Songs I hate: I'll Tell You My Dirty Little Secret
  • Songs I repeat the most: Strauss Waltzes
  • Band I wish I was in: Yohanne Strauss Orchestra (Andre Rieu)

Food

  • Favorite Cuisine: Chinese, Italian, Dutch
  • Favorite Dishes: Alice's Rib Roast, my Cod with Sherry Sauce, my Bruschetta Chicken
  • Favorite Desserts: My Cream cheese souffle with strawberry, and Kiwi
  • Favorite Drinks: Coffee
  • Favorite Junk Foods: Tostito's chips and salsa
  • Best meal ever: New Year's at Alice's
  • My Original Recipes: too many to list
  • Favorite Restaurants: Outback, Red Lobster, Olive Garden, American Grill inside of Narriot Marquee in Hotlanta
  • Foods I hate: Brussel Sprouts, Corned Beef