About the Author
I grew up in Daytona Beach, Florida and then came north in 1966, attending Union College and then the University of Pittsburgh, where I studied creative writing and English literature. I got my law degree at the Duquesne University School of Law. I now live in New York City with my wife, Loretta.
My first novel, The Blue Rider, a work of historical fiction set in World War II, is based upon a true story, told to me by Lea Weingel, who, as a young woman, escaped from the Nazi invasion of Latvia by fleeing on foot into the woods with just the clothes on her back, survived the war years in Stalinist Russia, and then, against all odds, managed a daring escape from the Soviet Union.
In writing my second work of fiction, Daytona Massacre, a courtroom drama set in Daytona Beach in 1997, I relied not only on my familiarity with my hometown, but also over 25 years as a career prosecutor in New York City. In writing this book, l chose to tell the story as a drama, as opposed to a novel, because I found that this form allowed me to bring the reader directly into the courtroom as though he or she were watching the trial in real time. I realized that the story of the capital murder trial told in the play, could be enriched by linking that story to the Daytona Beach of the 1960’s through one of the main characters, prosecutor Rick Sands. I added four “coming of age” short stories which lead up to a single event that changes Sands’ life in a way that resonates over thirty years later as he seeks a just result in the aftermath of a tragic crime.
Although I now devote myself to fiction, I also am the co-author, with Linda Cantoni, a fellow career prosecutor, of two law related books. While one of those books was written for law students, the other is specifically designed to help non-lawyers handle disputes with powerful entities such as insurance companies and landlords. I am particularly proud of the fact that Linda and I were able to translate legalese into simple rules, written in plain English, which can assist non-lawyers in their efforts to obtain fairness from a system that is all too often weighted in favor of the rich and powerful.