Extended Bio

Elementary and Middle School

I was born in late November in 1986, in a small town in eastern Iowa, right on the Mississippi. No, like, really—the Mississippi is my backyard. Which means I spent a lot of summers fishing and boating, and a lot of winters ice skating. My parents divorced when I was eight. My dad ran a sports store, and my mom worked as a secretary at the local college.

Honestly, my childhood sounds kind of typical for an author. I was a complete nerd and introvert and didn’t have many friends. I read a lot of books and loved playing with LEGO and K’Nex. Despite my dad’s business, I wasn’t sporty in the slightest…though I did like skiing and swimming. I was very interested in how things worked, and loved science and paleontology and archeology and Egyptology and… Well, you get the picture. I was the kid making science experiments out of stuff I found in the kitchen.

Which is how I learned that you should not microwave aluminum foil.

I was also telling a lot of stories around this time. My parents kept many of them. My favorite titles include “James Bond and the Giant Peach” (Hollywood—I think I was on to something) and “Spiders Don’t Eat Spaghetti.” I loved illustrating these stories, and my notebooks are filled with pictures of dinosaurs and monsters and inventions. I don’t think my drawing skills have improved much since then.

I started making more friends in middle school. We were all the outcasts, but we had a blast. Most of us were in band (I played alto saxophone), and we’d spend our time after school playing video games (N64 or GameCube or PS2) and drinking a lot of Mountain Dew and eating too much sugar. During a few lunch breaks every week we had a book club, which basically gave us an excuse to avoid bullies and read a lot of fantasy novels.

I tended to be the kid who got along better with adults than my classmates. And I had some amazing teachers who supported me and gave me the encouragement to follow my passions. (Mrs. Russel, Mrs. Fate, Mrs. Holcomb, Mrs. Witt)

Early high school

My freshman and sophomore years were spent at the public high school. There, I got even more involved in band, and joined the marching band, concert band, jazz band, and even an after-school funk band. I truly thought I was going to be a musician when I got older—I thought I would be the next Kenny G. Spoiler alert: that changed. My friend circle expanded a bit, and we started getting more into anime and manga and costuming. I learned how to sew, and we went to a few anime conventions together. Like I said: big nerds.

Around this time, I discovered Cirque du Soleil, which introduced me to a world of art and magic I never knew existed. I was hooked, and knew that someday, I needed to join the circus.

I also started getting more into writing. I joined the student newspaper and, in addition to my ‘serious’ reporting, did a weekly satirical Horoscope column. I took my first creative writing class my sophomore year, and that changed everything.

I was very frustrated with where I grew up. There just wasn’t anything to do (beyond video games and finding ways of entertaining ourselves). We didn’t even have a coffee shop to hang out in! So, halfway through my sophomore year, I took the chance and applied to Interlochen Arts Academy, to study creative writing. I never in a million years expected to get in. But… I did! In a matter of months, my life changed entirely.

Boarding School

My final two years of high school were spent at a boarding school. I was eight hours away from home, in the middle of the woods with a few hundred other artsy kids from all over the world. Every one of them was intensely dedicated to their craft, and very, very moody. It was a reality show in the making. Although I made good friends, it was a very hard experience. I also was still trying to understand my sexuality. Without any good LGBTQ+ roll models in my life, I didn’t understand all these feelings I was having. Thankfully, when I came out as gay at 17, I had the support of my family and friends.

While I was at Interlochen, I studied creative writing intensively. The school didn’t believe in teaching “genre” fiction at the time, so I wasn’t allowed to write my real passion—fantasy. Instead, I read a lot of poetry and nonfiction and “literary fiction.” I had a lot of homework. I learned a great deal, especially about the importance of hard work and discipline and perseverance. My writing skills improved.

I also came to hate writing. I was basically taught that genre fiction wasn’t worth notice, which told me that what I loved just…wasn’t worth pursuing. I struggled.

I tried switching majors to visual arts or costuming, but since my time was drawing to a close, I stuck it out with writing and was sort of the embarrassment of the department, since I never really became the sort of writer they seemed to want me to be. (Thankfully, I had one teacher who taught a fantasy class and believed in me, and I owe her a lot.) I graduated in 2005.

I never earned any awards. I never won any writing contests. I thought I was a failure. I thought I was done with writing for good.

That said, even though it was hard, and there were a lot of lows, Interlochen was a magical time, and I still miss it immensely.

College

The first college I attended was Colby. I lasted one semester there before realizing it wasn’t for me. So I came back to Iowa for the spring semester and waited tables at the local Italian restaurant.

The next fall, I attended Marlboro College, a tiny school in the woods of southern Vermont. Like Interlochen, it was small—about 400 kids. Like Interlochen, it was intense—it made the list as having the most homework of any college in the US. I studied anthropology and dance and art. I loved my time there, but it still didn’t feel right. So I transferred to Bennington College the next year.

At Bennington, I studied visual art, with a focus in photography. I spent my nights in the darkroom or wandering around the massive arts building, or else sitting out under the stars staring at the mountains. I loved the sort of magic I could make in the darkroom, including ‘ghost’ photographs and playing with light. We were able to create our own majors and explore what we wanted. It felt amazing.

At the end of my Junior year, I finally took the steps to achieve my life’s dream of going to Scotland. I acquired a work visa and a job at a hotel on Loch Ness for the summer. I was going to finally wake up and listen to bagpipes and drink tea and watch for Nessie and explore castles! Then I broke my arm.

I ended up canceling my summer trip and instead went to Scotland the next Fall. I loved it so much, I came back to do a study abroad term the first semester of my Senior year (It took me a long time to get my bachelor’s degree, friends). While there, I took courses in Celtic studies and Egyptology.

As you probably noticed, I wasn’t taking any writing classes, and barely took any literature courses. I was still feeling burnt from my time at Interlochen. However, I was still writing. Just not in a classroom setting. I worked on multiple drafts of my first novel, The Ivy Gate (never published) and tried to get an agent. I didn’t. Not yet. I graduated from Bennington College in 2010.

post-Graduation

I was lost after graduation. I didn’t know what to do or where to go. So I took a chance and moved to western Massachusetts to open an art studio with a friend of a friend. I was planning on doing metalsmithing, a hobby from boarding school. But although we found a studio space, it never really got off the ground. By a cosmic twist of fate, my roommate mentioned nearby authors were looking for an assistant, and I applied. I got an interview. And the job.

Turns out, those authors looking for help had the studio right next to mine. Holly Black and Cassandra Claire.

Working as their assistant reignited my passion for getting published. I polished up my new manuscript (eventually published as Runebinder) and after many rounds, finally got an agent. I also got accepted into the Master’s Program at University of Glasgow. So, a year after moving to Massachusetts, I packed up and moved overseas.

Grad School

I finally got back into studying Creative Writing at an academic level. Being back in Scotland inspired me, as well as being surrounded by so many talented authors. I worked on a book for my final project. That book was published a few months after my graduation: The Immortal Circus. I graduated in 2012

Circus

During all of this, I was actively training and working in the circus arts. I first started my training at Nimble Arts (now known as NECCA) in Brattleboro, VT after my time at Colby College. I was hooked. I took more classes and trained on my own and with friends (including at the local YMCA) In the States, I worked with a fabulous group based out of Kalamazoo, MI called the Aerial Angels. In Scotland, I worked with Aerial Edge and Spinal Chord Projects as an instructor, teaching silks and trapeze in old churches.

I never joined Cirque du Soleil, but I was able to train and teach in some amazing places, including Amsterdam and Madrid and Norway. I also met some of my dearest friends.

After

After graduating with my Masters, I decided to take another risk and move to Seattle, which I had never visited before. I only knew two people, and I first moved into an artist squat in an abandoned warehouse. It was actually amazing.

Since then, I’ve moved all around the city, and I’ve also spent a fair bit of time outside of it. I moved to LA for a year, thinking I’d become a screenwriting star (it didn’t happen…yet). I moved to Hawaii on the day the volcano erupted, knocking out the retreat center I was supposed to be working at. So that didn’t last long. I also moved to Scotland on another work visa, but Seattle called me back.

So here I am! I’ve spent the last few years writing constantly. I started with adult fantasy and YA, and stumbled into writing creepy kids books almost by chance (though I absolutely love it). I had the honor of working with a circus-based entertainment company in Seattle for a few years, but my circus work has slowly slid into the background. Now, my focus is on writing and discovering as many stories as I can.

I live with my goofball partner of five years in West Seattle. I still love to travel when I can, and spend as much time as I can outside. I love to garden and go on long walks and camp. I also work as a Narrative Designer for Warner Bros Games. This means I get to help write the stories you get to play!

And I still make it home to Iowa whenever I can, because a part of my heart still belongs to the rolling fields and thunderstorms and summer heat. I also still feel the call to get back to Scotland. There are many more castles to explore, after all.

Rapid Questions

What did you want to be when you grew up?

1. Artist

2. Musician

3. Scientist

4. Contortionist

5. Egyptologist

Fave books growing up?

1. Animorphs

2. Goosebumps

3. The Chronicles of Prydain

4. Harry Potter

5. The Mists of Avalon

Favorite movies? (these admittedly haven’t changed since I was 16!)

1. Nightmare Before Christmas

2. Hocus Pocus

3. Beetlejuice

4. Labyrinth

5. The Dark Crystal

6. The Craft

Favorite things about yourself?

1. Resilience: I don't give up when I set my sights on something

2. Creativity: I've always liked making things and telling stories, from Legos to novels!

3. Resourceful: I'm pretty good at making things out of nothing. I was the kid who spent hours making inventions out of paperclips and tape. I still do.

4. Compassionate: I've always tried to understand and respect how other people think and feel.

5. Impatient: Yeah, 'impatience' isn't usually seen as a good quality. But I'm the type who won't sit around and wait for things to happen--I go make them happen! Sometimes it gets me into trouble.

6. Adventurer: Maybe because I grew up in the middle of nowhere, I've always wanted to explore the world. And that's never gone away. I didn't have a lot of money growing up so I had to learn how to travel cheaply, including getting work visas so I could wait tables in other countries!

Greatest Accomplishments

1. Traveling to Scotland.

2. Joining the circus.

3. Publishing a book!

4. Getting a movie deal. (The movie never happened, but I felt like a superstar when a producer wanted to try to make Immortal Circus into a show.)

5. Writing for Scholastic

What would you want to do if you weren’t an author?

1. Work in a plant nursery

2. Be an interior designer

3. Professional travel writer

4. Work in a National Park

5. Teach circus arts

Any siblings? A younger brother!

Favorite color? Purple

Favorite season? Fall

Favorite book? Don’t make me choose!

Favorite Movie? The Nightmare Before Christmas

Favorite song? Current: Final Girl by CHVRCHES

Coffee or tea? Nothing beats a good latte or cup of Earl Grey

Cats or dogs? Both! Though I’m mildly allergic to cats

Do you have any pets? Sadly not right now. Hopefully someday!

Morning person or night owl? I try to be a morning person, but definitely night owl.

Where do you want to visit next? Japan

What’s your next big project? Gallowgate!

Play any instruments? Alto sax. At least I think I can still play it… And learning the hurdy gurdy!

Well, there you have it! My backstory in a nutshell.

I will keep updating this, but please note that all useful information on my life can be found here or my FAQs. I love hearing from fans, but please remember my email is for business enquiries only. Any requests for help with school projects will be directed back to this page.