Hey-yo.

My Story.

I write stories.

I've been writing scraps of stories since I could hold a pencil, littering the house with half-filled notebooks just about everywhere I went. Fast-forward twenty-some years and here you are reading about how I got here.

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I call the rolling prairie of the Midwest my home though you can find me anywhere I can get a full view of the sky. And that includes the tops of mountains. My childhood was spent running free on my parents 7-acre home surrounded by corn or bean fields, depending on the year, eating raspberries, playing with cats, and catching crawdads.

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When I was asked back in Fifth Grade what I  wanted to be when I grew up, "author" wasn't on that list. That didn't stop me from consuming every chapter book out there. My true love for reading began in a library, where it should, with a librarian who pulled me aside one day to go to the "restricted section". Actually it was just the chapter book section. I checked out book one of The Magic Tree House Series and it was over for me.

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I got a hint towards my love of writing when in Ninth Grade I wrote a satirical version of The Odyssey for an English Assignment. The humour and creativity in it blew people away, including myself. Like most writers I had plenty of first chapters and original characters peeking out of notebook margins, but what I'm doing now began when I entered my college's November writing challenge my Junior year out of curiosity. I took no English or Creative Writing courses in college. My focus was on History, Studio Art, and Music. It was then that I fell hard and fast. I'd finally found a place to put my mind's continuous prattle: stories.

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Post college I received a major injury after running a half marathon that left me unable to walk for over two months. As horrible as that had been, I had nothing else better to do than release my over-stressed mind into the word document pasture and "The Hero Dies In the End" was cultivated. Taking inspiration from my own college experiences I strived to write a story for those who's life experiences are far from easy, being forced from bad situations to worse in order to achieve even their most basic needs. Where every day is a battle to stick to your own morals and despite your upbeat attitude nothing is right on the inside. Where asking for help with your problems is an impossibility. Where, even if you're a Christian, life isn't easy, and you forget to question the morality of your actions.

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When I'm not writing, I work as the Marketing Manager for a small business run-specialty shop in South Dakota. And when I'm not doing that you can find me working on my next woodworking project, reading fourteen books at the same time (I'm serious), out running/hiking, or adventuring with family and friends.

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I would be nowhere without the support from friends and family.

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Huge thank you to my cover artist and first fan, Alissa Sauer; my amazing editor, Erin Grunke; and my layout artist, Kirsten Elyea.

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I would also like to thank God for the guidance He has provided me through the mountaintops and canyon bottoms. When my mind got crazy He was there to quiet it.

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Be still and know that He is GOD.

Psalms 46:10

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So here's my recommendation to you if you have a dream. Get a debilitating - Nah, just kidding. You just gotta take that first step and latch on to the excitement it gives you and never let go. Push past your limitations, you'll be surprised what you find there.

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Also always be on the lookout for a spot to enjoy the sunset.

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PLEASE consider supporting small and local businesses when purchasing my books. Links to their websites are on the Publications Page.

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I've got a lot of stories running around unsupervised in my head so it's great I get to share them with you.

- themesswrites