When I was eight, my adventurous parents hauled our young family from the west coast to a Wyoming mountain town perched on the border of the Wind River reservation. That magical landscape infused my formative years with a wonder of local lore that was both historical and immediate, and revealed to me that often the greatest stories have been all but forgotten or were never told. After publishing science fiction and historical romance for ten years, it seemed a matter of destiny that I'd eventually return to the tales of my youth. The Jake Paynter series brings together fact and fiction to explore places, people, and themes precious to me.

I've called Austin home since 1998 with my wife and three children. The kids are grown now, but remain in and around the heart Texas and consider themselves honorary Wyomingites. I've been gone from that mountain town for a long time now, but never really left the place.