I’m a pastor’s kid from central California, and graduate of Westmont College in Santa Barbara. I started as an assistant editor at a nonprofit in 2000, and some incredible mentors taught me acquisitions. I became an acquiring editor for WaterBrook Press (2005-2010), a freelance editor (2010-2018), and a Senior Editor for Zondervan Books (2018-2021). And now I get to coach new and mid-list authors on becoming more professional, happier humans. It’s been a pretty sweet ride so far.
I love memoirs and old movies and cross-country skiing in the winter. I love playing piano with my best friend, who I first met in junior high in 1987, and who now makes me tame my salsa for our guests on soup nights. I grow spicy peppers and some other stuff, but I really love when I get to play classic video games with my two daughters who room together at a university nearby. I’ve always wanted to learn hang-gliding or wind-surfing, and I’ve cowritten a short book on writing inspirational memoir with a friend I helped edit. I’m currently trying to finish my first novel about growing up Evangelical and learning to feel loved. My Substack on writing and publishing (mostly) is called “The Longing Forward.” My free blog here is sort of the outtakes of that.
Check out my Substack(s) here.Â
Or if you’re trying to write something awesome, check out the books I recommend.
