I grew up in Southern California, where life is always busy and constantly shifting. Through it all, my solace was in stories—movies, television, books, music, or other people’s lives. Stories kept me company in quiet moments alone and provided an escape from the hectic pace of everyday life.

After earning my theater degree from the University of California, Irvine, I gained a deeper understanding of characters and emotions. I learned how to bring them to life in ways that felt real to me and an audience. But it wasn’t until the quiet isolation of the COVID years that I truly dove into writing, driven by a need for creative expression. Now, writing is no longer just an outlet; it’s the thing I can’t imagine living without.

I had written short stories and outlines in the past, but it wasn’t until I started writing The Sea of Green that I told myself I would simply get to the end. At first, I didn’t have a clear idea of how the story would unfold. I had no clue how it would start, how it would end, or what would happen in between. All I had was a vague, evolving sense of what the Sea of Green was supposed to be, along with the beginning sentence: “At the top of the world there loomed a forest, an endless Sea of Green”—which ultimately was moved and wasn’t the beginning sentence after all.

As I kept writing, everything began to take shape. The characters became real, each with their own motivations and stories, and the world expanded in ways I hadn’t imagined. Their actions surprised me, and as I kept going, I found myself wrapped up in the journey, wondering what they would do next. Before I knew it, I was following the story down a rabbit hole. 

Outside of writing, you’ll find me enjoying life with family and friends, wrapped up in more stories, or watching my favorite teams: the Anaheim Ducks, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Los Angeles Dodgers. 

I appreciate you taking the time to share these stories with me. I hope you enjoy them and they bring you a sense of belonging, too.