I'm your story driver. For a small fee I can take you to your destination, but I can't tell you where that will be.

From as young as he can remember Brian read everything he could get his hands on, especially science fiction, but a variety of other genres as well.  As an older teenager and young man he began to notice when he enjoyed reading short stories and novels he also felt envy that he had not been the one to write them. This eventually led to his decision to begin a writing journey that has spanned several decades and produced two published novels so far. As is the case with most writers, real life in its various forms kept getting in the way of spending as much time on writing as he wanted. 

 

While growing his writing skills and working on several novels, he has had a variety of life experiences.  Several years of guitar lessons led to the formation of a garage band that played at local dances and parties. As a teenager and later he worked in the family liquor store where he learned to deal with an endless stream of interesting situations and people.  After a couple years of college he spent four years in the United States Navy working in communications on three different ships.  One of those was a destroyer where he became a Vietnam Veteran.  Serving on that warship as well as the other ships and duties he took part in contributed to the inspiration and authenticity of his storytelling for WAR PAINT.  After his time in the navy he finished college, earned his bachelor's and master's degree, and spent 32 years teaching elementary school. There he discovered that his experience dealing with liquor store customers and the navy bureaucracy turned out to be more useful that you might think. He wants everyone to know that some of the readers who have given the most positive reactions and reviews about WAR PAINT have been both women and men who were not necessarily big fans of war stories. He describes the book as a "story in a war" and thinks it has appeal for anyone who enjoys a good entertaining book.

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His latest novel, Finders Takers, is a huge departure from War Paint but it has some of its roots in his life experiences as well. The chapters of this crime/suspense/psychological thriller where the three main characters are kids are set in the neighborhood where he grew up in Fresno, California. In the book that neighborhood is located in Bakersfield but it's lifted directly from his Fresno childhood. It's a story of greed, revenge and how supposed fortune can send lives down a deadly spiral.

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On top of everything else, he says he's a decent cook, but he doesn't practice guitar very much because he's busy writing.

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