Hi, i'm jd, thanks for stopping by.
I don’t really know what to write here, which may be odd for a writer…but here we are. I think I’m just gonna keep it simple. When I was a kid, I don’t exactly remember my age, probably somewhere around 10, I read the first book that I just couldn’t put down, that I got totally lost in. The book was Hatchet, by Gary Paulsen. I must have read it 100 times. I couldn’t get enough of it. I asked my parents for a hatchet for Christmas, I even dreamt of surviving a plane crash so that I could try my hand at surviving in the foreboding Canadian wilderness. The point here is that I didn’t just read that book, in my mind I lived those adventures right alongside Brian Roberson and while I never did get to live out my survival dream, I got something much better, a lifetime love of reading. I would escape into a book any time I could, I still do. I always have a book with me, as Stephen King says, books are a uniquely portable magic. That love of reading has turned into a great love for writing, and my hope is that people will lose themselves in my stories the same way that I have so many times over the years.
published works
Covenant: Exodus was my first published novel and was born from my own interest in ancient mysteries, lost societies, mythology, and things about humanity’s past that just don’t make sense.
The story unfolds across two timelines, bridging past and present. In the ancient world, we follow Noahim, the youngest high priest of the Mul’Ki, who is unexpectedly thrust into a role demanding both wisdom and bravery beyond his years. With a prophecy foretelling catastrophe, Noahim must confront enemies both mystical and human, unlocking secrets hidden within an ancient book that may hold the key to unimaginable power. By his side stands Karok, a loyal protector, as they navigate the powerful forces that could spell either survival or doom for their people.
In the present day, Erich Lawrence, a man obsessed with uncovering the lost history of an ancient civilization, embarks on a quest of his own. When Erich stumbles upon ancient relics that hint at apocalyptic events buried in the past, he unknowingly holds the key to humanity’s future. As his discoveries connect him to Noahim’s ancient world, the collision of their timelines reveals that some threats transcend time, and some battles must be fought across centuries.
Covenant: Exodus isn’t just a story of two heroes separated by ages; it’s about the choices, friendships, and sacrifices that bind us all, no matter the distance. It’s a journey where magic meets science and where humanity’s survival depends on those who dare to confront the mysteries of both. I’m excited to share this world with you and to invite you to journey with Noahim, Erich, and the Mul’Ki through this epic tale.
The idea for this book came about one day when I was thinking about my son Dylan who has Asperger’s. He loves video games and one day I had the idea for a story called Dylan’s game, where he pretended that his life was a Zelda style video game. So instead of having to ask a girl out on a date, he would see it as a quest update to gain renown by escorting the princess to a ball, or instead of doing chores it would be a task to gain experience points. I thought this might be a cool way to explore what the world looks like to someone on the spectrum. This was an important idea to me, many of the people that I love are on the spectrum, and I thought this might be an interesting story. Unfortunately for Dylan, or maybe fortunately (I’m not sure he would love the idea of being a character in one of my books) as soon as I sat down to start writing this one, Devin showed up, experimental tech in her head and all, and I’m so glad she did, because I really grew to love this foul-mouthed, take no shit, Sonic the Hedgehog loving kid (that part she definitely adopted from Dylan).
Devin, a 17-year-old girl with Asperger’s, has always been able to see the world a bit differently—a trait that makes her both an outsider and a top-tier gamer. But when an experimental chip is turned on in her head, Devin finds herself in a world where every move matters.
In Devin’s Game, Devin’s journey takes her beyond the boundaries of any virtual experience she’s ever faced. With her best friend Jazz by her side, she’s forced to navigate life-or-death situations using every ounce of her intelligence, focus, and grit. For Devin, gaming has always been an escape, but now it’s become her reality—and this time there’s no pause button.
This story is about more than survival. It’s about embracing who you are, using what makes you different as a strength, and proving that sometimes, the best heroes are the ones who don’t fit the mold. I’m thrilled to bring Devin’s journey to life and to invite readers to experience a unique blend of action, friendship, and the transformative power of being unapologetically yourself.
works in progress
Parallel Dimentia is a project that I have been working on for a few months and I hope to have ready to publish in early 2025. The original idea for the story came after a visit with my mom, who is living in a nursing home with dementia. Her dementia rapidly onset after a bad infection that basically put her in to a coma. When she came out of it she told me stories of someone kidnapping her, leaving her in the dark for days in a pool alone. These experiences terrified her. To her, they were very real. She had other stories that went along with it, all of which are relayed in some variation within the book. After hearing these stories that she had lived so fully the idea came for this story.
The basic idea is this; what if people suffering from dementia aren’t having delusions, but somehow slipping into parallel dimensions, glimpsing alternate realities. I’m not going to be giving too much away here, because honestly I don’t know where this one leads yet, but I will continue to update my progress, and hope to bring you this exciting story soon!
Current Status: First Draft
word count to date
Genesis, Book Two in The Covenant Series picks up directly after the events of books one. This book will tackle many of the same themes of mythology, lost history, and the dividing lines between science and magic. I think that this would be as good a time as any to let you all know that I am not a plotter when it comes to writing. I never really have any idea where these stories are going, and so I can’t tell you much about it other than all of your favorite characters will return, and be faced with challenging situations and strive to overcome them.
It’s actually my favorite part of writing, that the characters in these stories are constantly surprising me, constantly taking the story in a different direction than I thought it would be going. In On Writing, Stephen King says that he believes stories are found things, not created things, and I agree with him. I am not really writing the story, I am just writing it down. Somehow it exists out there, all on its own. Don’t ask me to make this make any sense, I can’t, but I know that it’s true.
So I will continue to allow Noahim, Erich, Sophia and all the others to let me know what’s happening in their worlds, and I will update you here. I had hoped to have this book finished a couple of years ago, which didn’t happen for a variety of reasons. My new goal is to finish this story and have it ready for publication before the end of this year, so check back and see if I can get it done!
Current Status: First Draft
word count to date
