About Me
Born and raised in a small town outside of Hot Springs, Arkansas, I grew up next door to a herd of cows and spent my summers exploring the woods and making friends with every critter I could find. While on those childhood expeditions, I wove stories around myself until I was shrouded in them completely; I became a hero of my own invention. Turkeys, deer, snakes, and turtles served as my accomplices, and together we completed quests, solved mysteries, and outsmarted dangerous adversaries, though I was always just one shout from Mom away from being summoned home to reality. When it was too hot, too cold, or too late at night to be out, I spent my time gaming, escaping similarly into fantasy worlds of magic and adventure, my controller or keyboard the key to realms that captivated me endlessly and inspired my future explorations.
After high school, I left my pastoral little town and received my BA in English literature with a minor in writing from the University of Central Arkansas. From there, I ventured out even further, diving deep into a city with three times the population of my entire home state and resurfacing with a lifetime's worth of experiences and my MA in TESOL from New York University. Now I live and work in what I consider to be my happy medium, Philadelphia, PA., enjoying equally my time navigating the bustling city center and strolling along the quiet nature trails by my house.
In addition to my lifelong love affair with games, I have experience as a fiction and nonfiction writer, director of marketing, and writing and grammar professor. My creative writing spans the genres of science fiction, mystery, fantasy, comedy, and horror, and my full-length novel is a love story.
Gaming remains an essential part of my life. It's a thrill and an escape, an exercise in creativity and imagination, and a way to engage and inspire; it's an avenue through which players can realize their most fantastic goals and find a community with which to share them. Gaming is opportunity. It's connection. It's passion, and it's art.
To learn more about me and my philosophy on gaming, check out my gaming blog, where I review games, interview gamers, and discuss the value and impact of gaming on society.