I grew up in Oregon and live in Washington with my son. As far as education, I have a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from the University of Oregon (I've wanted to be a writer since I was eleven years old) and an MBA from the University of Colorado (because I had rent to pay). When my first novel Hammerhead unexpectedly reached bestseller status, I began to receive emails from veterans who'd served in Korea, Vietnam, the Persian Gulf, and Afghanistan. These men and women told me I'd done right by those who'd survived war. Realizing recommendations from these vets had put Hammerhead on the bestseller lists, I decided to dedicate a percentage of my profits from the Hammerhead series to disabled U.S. veterans. As far as my writing, I take a hands-on approach. When SCUBA research couldn't wait for summer, I found myself certifying in Puget Sound in January. Perhaps not my brightest moment. Beyond writing and my son, martial arts are my anchor. At nineteen years old, I entered an Aikido dojo for the first time and have since trained in Jeet Kune Do, Tae Kwon Do, Shudokan Karate, Goshin Jutsu, Judo, Muay Thai, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.