I was born into a family of professional wrestlers, raised in Bakersfield, California, and my writing career began on a dare from a theatre director, which worked out well since I wasn't a very good actor anyway. My award-winning novels include, Dog Logic and Water Memory (Dog Logic sequel). I have one screen credit, Out There (Showtime), and my plays include BAFO (Best and Final Offer) which had its world premiere at South Coast Repertory and its New York premiere at the American Place Theatre (APT); Dog Logic, which also had its world premiere at South Coast Repertory and won a Kennedy Center Fund For New American Plays award for its New York premiere at the APT (and was also the seed for the novel); and Neon Psalms, winner of the Dramatists Guild/CBS New Play Award for its world premiere at the Magic Theatre in San Francisco and its New York premiere at the APT. Honors include a National Endowment for the Arts grant for playwrights and commissions from South Coast Repertory and the Actors Theatre of Louisville.