An introduction

If you've found this at all, I'm surprised. It's not like there's any profound reason to be interested in me. But since you're here I'll give a brief introduction of myself...

I live in Central Appalachia, in coal country. My family is from here, but I was raised in the Army. I moved here for the first time in 1996 at the age of 36.

I've lived in Augusta, Georgia longer than any other single place. But in a year or two that will change if I stay here in Appalachia. I've also lived in

• Stuttgart, Germany
  
• Canbera, Australia
  
• Singapore
  
• Guam
  
• Saipan, in the Northern Mariana Islands
  
• Hawaii, on the Big Island
  
• Penang, Malaysia
  
• Bangkok, Thailand

In college I studied social science the first time - psychology, sociology, a little anthropology. The next time I studied linguistics and earned a graduate degree from the Australian National University. I have a Master's of Science from Marshall University in Education.

I write. I've been writing since, well, as long as I can remember. I became interested in journalism in high school, edited a high school paper, edited my college paper, wrote for a small weekly or two, and spent a couple of years as a beat reporter for a rural daily paper. About 10 years ago I stated writing for the Internet; I've done a couple of short stints at the Suite and spent eight years as part of About Dot Com's Travel Channel (a New York Times Company).