It’s hard to believe now and I try to tell my son Lucas that I grew up in an age where there were no cell phones or internet; some families still had black and white TV’s and certainly no flat screens; and my first video game was pong – we were entertained by little white blocks and a dot that moved across the screen. I grew up in the late 1970s and 1980s in Olney, Maryland, quintessential suburbia.
I was born in Washington, D.C. on March 26, 1970 (on my Mom’s birthday, a fact she never lets me forget). Reading and writing were always a part of my life. I loved the Encyclopedia Brown series and anything Matt Christopher wrote which combined my love of sports and storytelling. I discovered Where the Red Fern Grows in Mrs. Blakely’s 6th grade class, one of my all-time favorites, which combined dogs, friendship and adventure. Here is a picture of my beloved Fred, my yellow lab who was a constant companion for ten years before passing away in 2009.
Although The Day I Brought a Blue Alien to Homeroom is my first published book, my first actual story was a series of detective stories about a purple polka dotted criminal and Colombo as the detective. I bought an old typewriter at the Lake of the Woods bazar in my grandparents’ retirement community in Locust Grove, Virginia near Fredericksburg. This typewriter inspired my creativity and I hen pecked my way to several stories, bringing them immediately to my parents, sister and grandparents.
Writing continued to be a huge focus as part of my favorite subjects – history and English. I attended Sherwood High School in Sandy Spring, Maryland and I was on the school newspaper. Consistent with the theory write what you know, I was the sports editor writing about my high school sports teams. I was a three sport athlete – winning 2 Maryland Soccer State Championships in 1985 and 1986; reaching the Maryland Basketball State championship in 1987 (however, I won’t mention the final score); and playing tennis. My athletic prowess came honestly as my Dad was an outstanding baseball player at the University of Maryland and I hear my Mom had some basketball skills and became an accomplished tennis player herself. I was recruited and played Division I soccer at then Towson State University from 1988 through 1991. Based on my love of reading biographies and historical events and writing, I majored in history. Although my Dad and sister were teachers, I chose a different path to study law at the University of Baltimore combining my thirst for knowledge and my love of writing. One of my first year law classes combined writing a brief and an appellate oral argument. My written brief was the best in my section.
After graduating law school in 1995, I continued to clerk for the United Mine Workers of America while looking for a full time attorney position. I was still living in Baltimore and taking the commuter train to Washington, D.C. It was on one of these rides that the idea for The Day I Brought a Blue Alien to Homeroom was born. Essentially day dreaming on the way back to Charm City – a story came to me: a boy in his quest to unseat his Asian rival at the school science fair discovers a blue alien. I initially wrote a short story about 25 pages and showed my Aunt June, one of the smartest persons I know who was a former high school English teacher and government editor. Aunt June encouraged me to expand the story and so I was off and running or actually sitting, at the computer typing the story. The story had been completed for some time, but between a few rejections from larger publishing houses, having a son and successfully making partner at a real estate law firm in Bethesda, Maryland known as Linowes and Blocher LLP, the story remained locked in my computer.
Finally, it took my Dad’s passing in March 2014 that I realized how short and precious life is and I wanted to leave something behind that I had created. I thank Create Space for giving me this opportunity. I hope you enjoy The Day I Brought a Blue Alien to Homeroom, and I sincerely wish you put your prejudices and biases aside and find your own Blue Friend. My personal hope is that I don’t wait another 15 years to publish my next book which is currently in my head waiting to be shared with all of you.
The incredible cover and inside illustrations come from across the globe in Zambia, Africa - the work and magic of my best friend, Mike Gower. I have known Mike since we were on the same basketball team sponsored by Grand Union in the 5th grade. We lost in the championship and had a great season, although Mike remembers he was part of my Dad’s famous double pick, but when he rolled to the basket I never seemed to pass the ball to him. I don’t seem to recall that. We remained friends through middle school and then really bonded the last 2 years at Sherwood High School.
Mike attended James Madison University where he majored in Art. He went on to work for local Fox News in Washington, D.C. as a computer graphics designer and then to America’s Most Wanted. Some kid’s life may be saved because of one of Mike’s designs. He is an incredible artist and more important, a better friend.
He is currently following his wife Eve, a physician’s assistant working for the State Department, around the world with their twin boys Jake and Eli. Special thanks to Ruth Ann for suggesting this partnership despite the distance.