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“The most original authors are not so because they advance what is new, but because they put what they have to say as if it had never been said before.”
— Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Written Works

Novels

A Word on the Wind (Currently seeking publication)
An eco-folktale set in the post-dystopian Driftless Area as told by Patch, an aging canine happily helping his person, Top, revive the region’s ecosystems in an effort to redress the sins of humanity past.

But a nefarious, legendary beast—undetectable to humans—has violated their Providence by infecting species with ravenous hunger and greed. When Patch discovers the beast and witnesses its ill effect, he vows to protect Top from its wicked plans to upset the delicate natural balance they’ve toiled to nurture.

Celebrating loyalty, mysticism, sustainability, and Native Americanism, A Word on the Wind explores our innate connection to the natural world, the perpetual threat of human avarice, and the extraordinary bond between a dog and its person.

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A Word on the Wind

“The day the pain started was the first time I smelled the beast.”

So begins the story of Patch, an aging, loyal, strong-willed canine living happily in nature with his person, “Top” (or “Leo,” as the two-leggers call him), a celebrated member of the vigilant eco-society, The Landstewards of the Driftless Haven. Together, this community works diligently to protect native species and restore the Driftless Area in hopes of redressing the foolish transgressions of humanity past.

On a breezy day in late summer, Patch noses a troubling new odor—the ill-scented harbinger of a ravenous, legendary fiend with the ability to spellbind creatures and imbue them with its own insatiable hunger. When Patch discovers the beast, observes its nefarious powers, and realizes it is undetectable to humans, he resolves to protect Top from its influence at all costs. Despite Patch’s efforts, the beast advances its corruptive mission throughout the Driftless, growing in power and infecting ever-larger species, eventually ensnaring a human and exploiting their influence to upset the natural balance for which the Driftstewards have so selflessly toiled.

An extraordinarily early frost wreaks havoc on many vulnerable species and the resulting impact sparks fear, putting the community on edge. The threat of a harsh winter and potential scarcity begin to shift sentiment from sanctuary to self-preservation, eventually bringing the very creed of stewardship into question while the health of the Driftless hangs in the balance.

After receiving a mystical vision, Top sets out to influence his peers and keep the community true to its progressive course. While Patch, guided by his own vision, stands faithfully by his person’s side, calming and protecting Top whenever needed, and biding his time until he can offer his piece and hopefully thwart the beast’s ultimate plan forever.

Uncommon Friends (Currently seeking publication)
The heartfelt tale of Dunn, a despondent cubicle-dweller, and Scott, a timid 6th-grade boy, both struggling with the daily pressures of their separate, dreary lives. Connecting through happenstance, the two embrace an unorthodox friendship that provides the right tonic for what ails them.

Weaving themes of friendship, depression, attraction, aging, anxiety, and bullying, Uncommon Friends sheds light on struggles and emotions that males commonly face, but are discouraged from expressing.

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Uncommon Friends

Dunn Stewart is 40 and flailing in depression. Mood swings, hopelessness, apathy, and agitation afflict his life, work, and marriage, charting a course toward self-pity and destruction. But men aren’t supposed to feel this way, and if they do, they certainly don’t seek professional help.

Scott Stoops is 11 and spends his nights in a fit of worry about school, where poor study habits and lack of friends leave him feeling anxious and vulnerable. To cope, he often fakes sickness to escape class and the scorn of Kaiden Shultz, the boy he both admires and fears. At home, his sister offers only ridicule and torment, and his father, criticism or indifference.

Eventually meeting by chance, Dunn and Scott quickly find solace and support in an unorthodox friendship that yields confidence and truth in the other’s perspective. Dunn begins to enjoy his work, marriage, and life again. Scott attracts new friends and discovers an unfamiliar sense of calm and confidence.

But Dunn’s renewed esprit beguiles Ashleigh, a young, willful intern with bedroom intentions. Scott’s growing self-assurance draws Kaiden’s ire, placing them at new odds. And when their secret friendship is suddenly discovered—and forbidden—Dunn and Scott are left to face these rising challenges alone.

Screenplays

Johnny’s in the Basement
Midwestern college life in the late ‘90s...such a carefree place, time, and age.

Featuring an ensemble cast of characters, this flashback homage commemorates the last generation of college students to "come of age" before the harsh realities of 9/11, social media, and technological obsession irreversibly altered American college culture.

Full of irreverent humor, sex, music, drugs, and first-world problems, this story contrasts the liberation and livelihood of late 20th Century privileged college "childults" against the hazards that often befall capable minds when they are idly locked in a vacancy.

Road Movie (Project-in-progress with Matt Fisher)
A clever, collaborative parody-farce that celebrates and exploits every mechanism, theme, and cliché of one of cinema's most timeless and successful genres: the "Road Movie."

Short Stories

Dante’s Reward
Reminiscent of Dickens and O. Henry’s “The Gift of the Magi,” Dante’s Reward is a story about “The Two Americas,” how contrasting classes experience and celebrate their Christmas traditions, and how different their views of wealth, gratitude, obligation, and responsibility truly are.

Blizzard
Trapped at home and isolated by an unexpected blizzard, a despondent wife and drunkard husband acknowledge their mutual scars and growing distance, seeking connection and compassion—if only for a moment.

Train of Thought
A hungover restaurant worker awakes to a splitting headache and a blacked out memory. In his wrinkled shirt pocket, he finds three bizarre clues to the previous night’s proclivities: a train ticket receipt charged to his credit card, a subtly suggestive note scribble, and a long, mauve-painted, human fingernail. His quest for recollection—and recompense—yields a surprising connection.

Togetherness
On a trip to visit his Alzheimer’s-stricken grandmother, a pensive traveler contemplates the origins of attraction, the power of familial bonds, and the pitfalls of his failing marriage.

River of Freedom
A protective father timidly embarks with his family on a grand whitewater adventure through Wyoming’s Snake River Canyon.