J belongs to The Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, and loves to sing, having performed many concerts, such as classical, Christmas, and cabaret.
Letter of Merit Winner for Fiction: �The Late Terry Taylor,� Boys� Life Magazine (March issue, �04) from Society of Children�s Book Writers and Illustrators.
North Carolina Department of Public Instruction: �Snacks� and �The Thing in Adam�s Room� (May 2007) stories requested for North Carolina End of Grade Test (text and Internet). �I personally chose your stories for their high interest level. You can imagine that it is important to us to find stories that students will be engaged in reading when they are being tested on comprehension.� � Ann Pizzoli, Measurement Inc.
Riverside Test of Standards, Grade 6: �The Thing in Adam�s Room.�
The Harrow Horror Fiction Contest 2006: �Ashes� winner for horror fiction (Ramsey Campbell, judge) to be published in upcoming anthology.
Quarter-finalist in the Lone Star Screenplay Competition: �Attack of the B-Movie Monsters.�
PARA (Partnership for Research on Accessible Reading Assessments) a study on designing more assessible reading assessments for students with disabilities, and in search of highly motivating passages. "Snacks" is one such piece that we think will engage readers.
J lives in Southern California with his wife Susy (whom he met in acting class) and his amazing son Mark.
UPCOMING PROJECTS: "Lost and Found in the Black Hole," short fiction
for Boys' Life Mag, sometime summer 2008. "Ashes" short horror story, winner in The
Harrow, Original Works of Fantasy & Horror Contest, to be published in an anthology,
date unknown.
