About me and my books

 My wife Dorothy and I  live in Naples, Florida most of the year. I am a retired systems engineer, a magician, a teacher and a former deacon in the Catholic Church.

As a software and systems engineer for over 40 years, I became involved in making the complex, less complex. This ability to simplify things led me to teaching visual modeling techniques across the country in various domains, including engineering, retail, banking and finance. My strength lies in my ability to bridge the gap between various levels of understanding using  simplified diagramming techniques.

As a professional magician for several years, I also used various magic tricks to emphasize different subject matter, leaving my students with more than just an understanding of course content. 

As a deacon in the Catholic Church, I strived to simplify scripture and religious material and relating it to current events and issues.

In my first book, The Deacon : An Unexpected Life, I was motivated by my therapist to write about all the pain I was going through. Losing my wife to suicide, loneliness, grieving, making a decision to leave the diaconate, and the rejection I encountered.

In my second  book, Wisdom from the Wick, I wanted to apply some of my diagramming techniques to a religious and spiritual setting, taking my readers to a neighborhood tavern to meet a person whose discussions on life and faith don’t seem appropriate in a tavern, yet people came to hear him. 

In my third  book, Magnolia : A View of Heaven, I was motivated to share my view of what heaven may be like. Toward this end, I take the reader on a journey to heaven starting in my small hometown of Magnolia.

In my fourth book, The Stream : Keys to Peace, I was motivated to convey the concept of "peace". Jesus tell us, "Peace I leave you - My peace I give you."  I tell the story of a boy in the Philippines who searches for a special stream, a stream he dreamt of – a stream that brought him a peace he never felt before. Perhaps we all are searching for such a peace.