I've wanted to publish a book since I was eight years old. Before achieving that goal, I was a journalist (Boston Globe, NY Times, various magazines), an educator - teaching stress resiliency in urban schools from Newark, NJ to Boston, to East and South Central LA. I taught creative writing and literature in the Massachusetts prison system, as well as at Boston University and Emerson College. I was once a pretty good rock and ice climber, and now I don't do much of either, but one day, I will again. I have a great road bike and a mountain bike, and I'm very proud that I learned to ride them with cleats (it might have been a prouder accomplishment than getting my driver's license all those years ago). I think life is fun, if you live it. But you have to grab it sometimes and hold on.