I grew up in the American West, in Tucson, Arizona and Pocatello, Idaho, and I very much feel like a child of the desert. That didn’t stop me from going all the way to Massachusetts to college, since that was about the farthest away I could go without falling into the ocean. Mount Holyoke College was a wonderful experience for me, with its excellent students and professors and its campus, perfect for reflection.

After a stop in Wisconsin for a Master’s degree in Computer Science, I’ve spent my professional life in Silicon Valley, working for various companies large and small. I joined the SCA because I’ve been in love with Robin Hood since I was ten, and because I always thought that the coolest thing to be was a Medieval scribe. I also studied aikido for eighteen years, and in 2008 became a nidan (second degree black belt). I think that I’ve achieved all of the things that I wanted to be when I grew up.

In 2009 I had a house guest from England for the World Fantasy Convention held in San Jose (about ten miles from my house), and the house guest brought along another Englishman, fantasy writer Chaz Brenchley. Chaz and I hit it off, and after visiting back and forth between my house in Sunnyvale and his in Newcastle Upon Tyne, Chaz moved to Sunnyvale in 2012 and we were married in April. He also brought his two cats, Mac and Barry, who are living with us and my turtle, Dymphna.