Biography
Like many writers in Hollywood, I've sold scripts and had things "optioned" by movie companies that don't show up on IMDb.com. My "You Solve It" mystery novels were optioned for TV twice. After selling two screenplays within two months that didn't get made. I turned to writing books, but I remain a working screenwriter.
There were 13 people in my graduating high school class in Anna, Texas, and a population of 753 listed on the town sign. Despite extreme hardships due to parental troubles, growing up in Texas was idyllic brain food for an aspiring writer. I ventured onto a lifelong path to learn about mental illness, philosophy, religion, and how to make things better. I've been homeless as a kid and more than once as an adult, and all I can say is, God pulled me through because He has a plan for me. I'm committed to helping others.
I've loved seeing America. On a visit to the Washington D.C. in 2002, we took in a number of sites including the Jefferson Memorial. My kids thought I looked "just like" our nation's third President, which is interesting because at one point I planned to do a one-man show about him. I have a large library of Jefferson books, have visited Monticello, and think his thoughts are ever more applicable today.
I'll never give up on America.
My son Haley marrying his wife Ashley in November 2022. Haley started in showbiz at an L.A. shooting range where he was a firearms instructor and the go-to guy for celebrities. He got his first IMDb.com credits on two TV shows in 2010 thanks to people he met at the range. He's now the media guy for Taran Tactical Innovations, where top movie stars come for firearms training, like Keanu Reeves and Halle Berry for the John Wick movies.
My daughter Holly Olivia Press, taken when she was a freshman at St. Mary's University in San Antonio, Texas in the fall of 2010. Holly had a 3.6 average the first semester, straight As the second semester, and made it just fine through the first semester even though she broke her foot the first week there! In 2011, she got both YMCA and Red Cross certified as a lifeguard and swimming instructor,. In 2012, she was the lighting technician at Sea World in San Antonio. Then she got into the healing arts in No. Carolina and also moved up the corporate ladder with a major food chain. In 2023, Holly graduaed paralegal school (dean's list) and in 2024 is loving her new profession.
And back to me...
I've won awards you've probably never heard of, had plays produced you never attended (although the L.A. Times did, and liked them). I've written for TV shows you probably never saw, had optioned and sold feature screenplays you've never seen on the screen. I even wrote for Reader's Digest. Get in touch if you think we could do something together.