BIO
Writing is My Passion and My Business
As a published author with decades of publishing, journalism, teaching, and editorial experience — from Doubleday to The New York Times — I deliver editorial services that give both seasoned and first time authors a professional edge. Whether you need manuscript development, a query letter, a book proposal, or ghostwriting, I combine industry insight, storytelling know-how, and real-world success to guide your work toward publication.
Standing in front of an MiG-15 at the Oakland Aviation Museum in Oakland, California. The MiG-15 gave our F-86 Sabres a hard time during the Korean War. This one was cooperative.
Books & Journalism
My award‑winning books—Hear Today, Gone Tomorrow (memoir), Operation Storm, and When Giants Ruled the Sky (military history)—demonstrate storytelling skill and deep reader engagement. My feature articles on inventive failures (White Elephant Technology, or WETech for short) have appeared in such publications as The New York Times, WIRED, Smithsonian Air & Space magazine and Popular Science—proof that I understand how to craft compelling content.
Several of my books have been featured in documentaries. These include Operation Storm, which was the basis for the PBS/National Geographic documentary, Japanese SuperSub. I not only helped shepherd Japanese SuperSub into production, but co-wrote it and served as technical consultant. The New York Times called the program, “consistently fascinating history.” Additionally, I was featured as an on-camera expert in WildBear Entertainment’s seven part series, Secret Weapons of WWII, which was based in part on research for my book, White Elephant Technology. I also appeared as the on-camera expert in the Smithsonian Channel’s documentary, America’s Lost Airship about the USS Macon, which was based in part on research for my book, When Giants Ruled the Sky.
Documentaries
Educator
As an experienced educator, I’ve taught courses on book publishing, freelance writing, marketing and history at UC, Berkeley; the University of San Francisco; Fairfield University; and San Francisco’s Writing Salon. I’ve also guest‑lectured at the University of Kansas’ William Allen White School of Journalism; Stanford University’s Graduate School of of Business, and UC, Berkeley’s Haas School of Business. And since 2000, I’ve taught a twice-yearly ZOOM class, How to Get Your Book Published, sponsored by Book Passage, northern California’s leading independent bookstore.
Media Commentator
I’m a sought‑after expert on a variety of topics including the golden age of airship travel, and unusual inventions that fail in the marketplace despite being innovative having been interviewed on NPR, CNN, BBC, C-Span and featured in documentaries.
Career
I began my editing career at Doubleday, served as a Special Correspondent at The New York Times, was a contributing writer at Connecticut magazine and Editor of the Connecticut Business Journal. I currently serve as a Director of The SILOE Research Institute’s Archival Division in Marin County.
Supporting Female Authors
As the father of two daughters, I’m deeply committed to supporting aspiring and established female authors. In fact, women buy almost 80% of all fiction, and make up more than half of all the authors I've worked with.
Here I interview Robert Ragozzino (right), who is building a scratch replica of the Spirit of St. Louis (shown behind us), which he intends to fly to Paris on the anniversary of Lindbergh's record-making flight.
As part of my research for Operation Storm I interviewed Terry Kerby (left) at the Hawaii Undersea Research Laboratory in Oahu. Terry used the Pisces V submersible (shown behind us) to discover the wreck of Japan's I-401 submarine in 2005.
Appearing on C-Span to promote, Operation Storm.
Operation Storm took more than five years to research and write but part of the fun was exploring Balao-class submarines from World War II. Here I'm leaning against the bow dive plane station in the control room of the USS Pampanito (SS-383) in San Francisco. The lighting is red because the sub is rigged for diving. I look too serious here but believe me, I was smiling on the inside.
Having dinner with Alan Weston, former CEO of LTA Research, which is building the next generation of big rigid airships.
Giving a talk to the docents at the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum in Washington, D.C. about my book, Operation Storm.