Hello, there!
Thank you for checking out my website, and stopping by my ‘about me’ page. At the time of crafting this page, I have been writing online for nine years and have been self-publishing books for six years.
I want this page to share my story. It’s a space where I hope you get to know me a little better, more than a simple resume or CV page. I want it to be as if you are stepping into my living room, having a cup of coffee or tea with me, and I am sharing my story with you.
We will go on a journey, and I will share some of my greatest joys with you and share the different parts of my author journey. I think it will be a lot of fun, and I hope you enjoy it.
The Beginning: A little about my background.
I grew up in a small town in eastern Washington state. I was the fifth generation to live on a family farm and grow up in the house in which I lived. I loved my childhood and at an early age love to write.
However, it wasn’t until college where I started to begin my personal education in the craft of writing. After having a freshman year professor tell me I was a terrible writer and that my paper in his class was the worst he had ever seen, I was not going to be deterred.
By the end of my college career, I was routinely writing outstanding papers, and had started blog (which is long gone by now). But my love for writing burned bright as I started a new chapter of my life after graduation.
My First Pivot: Non-Profit Work
My college degree is in Sports Management, which I worked in the field right after college for a couple of years. I worked at Washington State University and Arizona State University in their Athletic Departments in Event and Facility Operations. I loved those jobs, but, I felt a call to do something different.
My first career pivot was to start working for Cru (formerly Campus Crusade for Christ). Unlike most people with Cru, I worked in a regional office as an event planner and communications staff. I put my past experience to work planning conferences and events for our region. I also went back to writing as I kept a blog and newsletter for my financial supporters. This is where I learned the foundations of content creation and email marketing.
I loved this work, and I met my wife during this time. It was fun because we lived in Portland, Oregon and I learned so much about different cultures. I love the food that we ate, the craft beer there was to drink, and my love for coffee became a craft.
But, I wasn’t done yet.
My Second Pivot: Joining the Private Sector
About a year into being married, my wife and I got pregnant with our oldest. Working for Cru, I had to raise all of my salary, additional expenses, and insurance finances. This happened as people recovering from the housing bubble burst and raising finances was difficult. So, it was time for me to leave the non-profit world and join the private sector.
I did so by working for a large insurance company. We needed the salary, the insurance, and the ability to move out of downtown Portland. All this happened and I became a corporate man living in the suburbs. Writing ended during this season of life.
From 2014 to 20`17, I stopped writing altogether because my new job, and the birth of my first two children enveloped so much of my time and energy. We also rented a home, then bought a home which I spent a lot of time fixing up.
But, in 2017, I realized it wasn’t too late.
My Third Pivot: Side Hustling Writer
In 2017, I was talking to a pastor, friend, and mentor and I shared with him how much I had loved to write. I had started writing a blog again, thanks to a post I read from Jeff Goins that had a lead magnet called: It’s Not Too Late.
Between these instances and what only felt like God encouraging me to go back to my love of writing, I started blogging again. I was writing on my blog here (which I have retooled several times and did not keep my original posts), and on Medium.
I had challenged myself to write one blog post a week and one newsletter a week. Most of the time, I was just sharing my blog posts with my email list, but it was so fun. I didn’t have much of a plan or a niche for my blog, but it was a ton of fun.
And then, I published my first book.
The Next Step: Becoming an Author
In 2019, I published my first book, Productivity Success. It went on to become a #`1 Bestseller on Amazon, and to this day, it still sells. This book was inspired by writing friends I had met on Medium and thanks to this book, I was able to actually write and self-publish my book.
Since then, I have self-published 18 books. 14 of them have become #`1 bestsellers on Amazon. The majority of my books are Christian faith based books. However, I do have writing resources available as well. You can find all of my books in my bookstore!
Another Step in My Journey: The Minimalist Author
After writing books helping teach people about turning Medium Stories and Substack Posts in to books, I realized that I had a framework that could help a lot of aspiring authors become authors. And it’s what I call, The Minimalist Author Way.
Now, I am writing and publishing books, but I am also teaching people to write and publish books using The Minimalist Author Way. Starting in 2025, I will have two ways that you can learn to write and publish books using my simple but effective frameworks:
- The Minimalist Author Way (A Self-Directed Course and Community)
- The Minimalist Author Mentoring (The Course, Community, and Monthly Mentor Calls)
My goal is to help you go from idea to #1 bestseller on Amazon and teach you to grow your bookshelf of books using The Minimalist Author Way.
What’s the best way to start?
The best way to start is by joining The Minimalist Author Newsletter!
In this newsletter, I will share the things I learn, my experiences, and spotlight other authors. I will also be sharing with you opportunities to step out and write and publish your books with offers on a regular basis.
So, now you know a little bit about me.
Are you ready to starting writing and publishing bestsellers?
