Greetings, everyone! I was born on October 9, 1968 in Boston, Massachusetts and am the youngest of six children. For the most part, I grew up and went to school in Port Jefferson, New York. Upon graduating from high school in 1987, I attended Saint Michael's College in Colchester, Vermont, graduating in May, 1991 with a B.S. degree in Accounting and a minor in French. After residing in New York State for the next five years, my writing hobby for children finally took off in 1996 after moving to Somerset, Massachusetts. After completing a two-year home study course from The Institute of Children's Literature in 1997, I was ready to begin writing in earnest. In 1999, I self-published my first book, I'm Gonna Win, a fantastic story about a talented but stubborn eleven-year-old basketball player named Matthew Casey. I subsequently followed this title with Slap Shot in August of 2000, my most popular book by all accounts which delves into the exciting world of ice hockey. My first two books were such big sellers that I decided to move forward with Slam Dunk, the sequel to I'm Gonna Win, which was published in June of 2001. Also in 2001 came Slap Shot II: Florida Vacation, a huge hit since most kids just loved Trevor and Tanner Thibault from the original book, a humorous but troublesome pair of identical twins.   

After a brief respite as well as relocating to Tolland County, Connecticut in June of 2002, I published Nick Makes The Kick in July of that year, my first story based on real kids. Matthew and Nicholas Gagne are the stars in this captivating sports novel. In 2003, I was extremely busy as I published four new books, the first being Touchdown Timmy, also another novel based on a real boy from Massachusetts; Justin 'JC' Cobb. The heartwarming story about an undersized boy named Timmy Tripp, this book easily motivates those kids who need a little extra boost when playing hardcore sports such as football, rugby, or wrestling. Next came Ryan Silva: Star Pitcher, my ever-popular little league baseball story about an amazing ten-year-old pitcher who learns to share the mound with a girl named Maisy. With so many co-ed sports teams today, this book felt so right to me. Towards the end of 2003, I published Super Spy Hunt, my first stab at a good old-fashioned spy mystery for kids. To end the year, Slammin' The Pipe arrived on the scene at the request of two sixth grade boys; an action-packed skateboarding novel geared to boys at the 'tween' age. It has been a huge seller and is easily one of my more popular titles for boys.

In 2005, two new books arrived on the scene. The first, Jess Goes To Camp, is a summer camp book especially geared to girls. The story features soon-to-be fifth grader Jessica Brozek and her closest friends as they venture off to spend an exciting summer season at Camp Clover. In September, Reilly's Black Belt arrived on the scene, an exciting karate story that features ten-year-old Reilly Hall, a real living boy from Connecticut. Reilly is intent on getting his black belt, but Hunter Maxwell, the fifth grade bully, is out to stop him. Packed with action and adventure for all readers, this book is especially designed for boys in fourth and fifth grade, and especially those who need a little help in dealing with a bully.

In August of 2006, Our Wacky Trip arrived on the scene, my first book written about a real class of 23 fourth graders from Tolland, Connecticut. Caleb Bahler, one of the boys from the class, was chosen to be the main character and tells the story through his own eyes. Filled with humor and all sorts of wacky events, the story features the class taking a trip to Quebec City, Canada. The book was met with tremendous enthusiasm among kids all across Connecticut and is now my best selling book. In August 2007, I released book #13, titled Away We Go. This book features yet another class of fourth graders from Tolland, Connecticut as they voyage around the world on a spy mission to find a missing collection of M&M's. Starring a ten-year-old girl named Kelly, this book is similar to Our Wacky Trip in that it is loaded with humor, but is a little more worldly since it might teach kids a bit of geography at the same time. Set in exotic places like Fiji, Spain, Sri Lanka, and Australia, kids will get a real look at some far-off places, but don't worry, there's plenty of material to keep the kids laughing at the same time. Away We Go is my third (and probably last) book featuring real kids from Tolland, Connecticut, my beautiful hometown.

In September 2008, I released Fourth Grade Day, a humor novel that features 66 children from Center Road School in Vernon, CT. Zachary Peters is a student chosen from the class to act as the main character in the story. Full of humor that all kids will devour in no time, Fourth Grade Day takes place in the school where Zachary plays the role of principal for a day. A multitude of events keep the kids busy, but the icing on the cake comes when the Governor of Connecticut gets attacked by the school's pet snake while visiting the restroom. This story is a must-read for those kids who enjoy reading funny stories.

In March 2009, I released The Circus Kids which features thirty-one third and fourth graders from St. Joseph School in Rockville, Connecticut. After visiting with these wonderful boys and girls in October of 2007, I couldn't resist the urge to feature them in my next book. Any reader will certainly love the circus acts these kids perform in this touching novel as they make an attempt to save their school from shutting down due to a lack of funds. The students perform all of their own circus acts in the story, and with lots of humor, action, and adventure woven in, this is another great read for those kids who enjoy an exciting yet humorous book.

In August 2009, I released David's Awesome Adventure, an action-packed book about a group of boys from Tolland as they venture off to Hawaii on a family vacation. Featuring David Busch, a soon to be sixth grader, this story is packed with adventure as the boys meet a professional football player who ends up inviting them to his Hawaiian palace for an afternoon of fun in the sun, but trouble lurks when Clayton wanders into the woods searching for a waterfall. Several boys from Tolland star in this captivating novel, including David Busch, Steven Busch, Evan Suchecki, Cole Suchecki, TJ Koss, and Clayton Keane. Not to be left out are Erin and Molly Busch, the younger sisters who make the story 100% complete.

My next book, Jake's Tree House, features seven more kids from Tolland who star in a humorous tale about a group of kids who create an after-school club in their tree house...for members only. To become elected into the club, a student must be willing to eat a live worm! Jake Robertson, a ten-year-old fifth grader, stars as the main character, but the book also features Alex Suchecki, Cole Suchecki, Mallory Goldsmith, Luke Bowden, Casey Bowden, and Ted Fischer. I plan to release this book in August of 2010.

The majority of my books are definitely geared to boys, and I have done this for a reason. As a general rule, boys do not like to read as much as girls, and I am doing my best to change that. Currently, nearly two-thirds of all my book sales are to boys, so my mission to get them hooked on reading is clearly working! My current wealth of sports-related topics for boys includes basketball, football, ice hockey, karate, little league baseball, soccer, and skateboarding. For the non-sports enthusiast, I have books on spy hunts, summer camp, school topics, and a vacation to Florida. Be sure to get your copies today!