I was born and raised in the small village of Wilson, New York, which is located on the shores of Lake Ontario. My parents, Berne and Nancy, were both teachers, so I was immersed in education from the get-go. I also have two sisters, Elaine and Tracey.
My career in education did not start immediately. I was drawn to theatre and after many high school plays and musicals, I decided to attend Niagara University, majoring in Theatre, and enjoying a "somewhat" prosperous acting career, even being able to be on the big stage at Artpark in Lewiston, NY, in productions like "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" and "Macbeth".
After living the theatre dream, I decided to try my hand at education, receiving my Masters in Elementary Education, I began teaching second grade in Virginia Beach. I relocated back to Buffalo and continued on teaching Middle School for a Catholic school in Lewiston, NY and eventually a larger Catholic school in Williamsville.
My daughter Cordelia, named after the Shakespearian heroine in King Lear and a character from Buffy The Vampire Slayer, was born in 2004, and thus began my journey into all things children: toys, clothes, and yes, books!
Growing up, I was lucky enough to have a best friend that lived next door, so there was never much downtime or boredom. We were always doing something, (mischievous or not!), and we always let our imaginations guide us. My ideas for Zombie Ed were born out of the things that interested me as a kid, and the way we thought as kids: simple and fun! I always enjoyed Halloween and watching the old school horror movies like Frankenstein, Dracula, and The Wolfman.
My interest in characters like ghosts and monsters, and yes, zombies, continued and grew. Even now as an adult, Halloween is one of my favorite times of the year, and attending our friend's annual Halloween party is an event. I usually have a costume idea for the next year's party already formed before the current one is over!
I now reside in the Buffalo suburb of West Seneca, in Western New York, with my beautiful wife Dannielle, and our kids Cordelia, Keifer and Brody.With the kids starting elementary school, I find myself once again immersed in education, and this has inspired me to create a series of books with my character Zombie Ed.
I am now a member of the Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators (SCBWI)!
