Official Website of Writer
About me
My first inspiration to write came from a 12th grade creative writing class in Pittsburgh, PA. Poetry, plus teenage angst, morphed into a love of songwriting which continues to this day. Music and playing gigs got me through Penn State and a few years of being a full-time musician. I’ve been a major player in recording five albums, including fourteen of my songs, with the most recent CD in 2016.
Some of my early experiences working as a child abuse investigator and caseworker in youth and family services left story threads rumbling in my head, as did being a romantic at heart, an ongoing singer-songwriter, an avid reader and a movie lover. Later, working in the video industry and writing a Video Guy movie review column...well, this leads to a lot of ideas. Retirement from the 40-hour work-a-day world in Boston to a 7-acre plot in the Alleghany Highlands of Virginia* and then Northern Virginia, with my beloved bride - the Divine Ms. C, gives me lots of inspiration and time.
I’ve melded several experiences into short-stories. “Another Special One” takes off from my social service years, and “Gemstone in the Rubble” was in response to a 1994 picture of a Chechen soldier and a piano in LIFE Magazine. Both stories won top prize in Boston area writing contests. I’ve written a few books, too! “The Threefer” is a crime novel based on the haunting death of a caseworker's young client, and his lawyer wife's trial with the mob. Romance and humor combine to drive this Pittsburgh-based mystery. There's sports and music non-fiction in the works too!
My blended family of four creative and motivated Millennials, two grandchildren, two grand kitties, and three grand(guinea)piggies keeps me on my toes. I try to “goof on” my children at every opportunity…cause, after all, I am a Kidder!
* Those are Virginia mountains in the page background! Thanks to the magnificent photographer, Chuck Almarez, for allowing use of this photo.
You can find more of his work at: http://www.fireandlightgallery.com/#/page/home/
Video guy
When I managed a video store, I wrote a newspaper column called "Video Guy". This was my work-a-day world for 19 years and I love movies. I've revived the Video Guy in my Blog along with some of the old and new reviews. The older movies are still out there on Netflix and Prime and worth the watch. The Blog has some Music Guy and Writer Guy reviews of interesting things I find along the road of life. My opinions are just that, and I welcome alternative perspectives. Enjoy!
music guy
Poetry, plus teenage angst, morphed into a love of songwriting which continues to this day. Music and playing gigs got me through Penn State University - plus a few years of being lucky enough to be a full-time musician, solo, and with bands I helped create.
I’ve been a major player in recording 5 albums that included 14 of my songs. The latest, "The School House Project" was recorded in 2016 inside the old one-room Rock Hill School in Linden Hall, PA. Amazing acoustics! Take a listen to my songs - Why Wasn't Love Enough, No Suspenders, Time and Time Again, and Til the Sun Gets Here - right here on my Music page. You might even want to buy the actual CD while there's still some available!
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