I grew up in Bucktown, a bustling community on the Northwest side of Chicago. I was the younger of two children in a family of four. After graduating from Wells High School, I attended North Park College and earned a Bachelor's degree in Liberal Arts. From an early age, I was attracted to the dark side of human nature, fascinated by the complex psychological explanation of what motivated good people to behave in bad ways. The characters in my work reflect that fascination, offering the reader a glimpse into both the grace and brutality of life.