It seems like I’ve been writing all my life. It’s always been a joy, never a job. My college major was mathematics, and I’m a retired software manager, having worked on programs ranging from Navy weapon simulations to FAA airport radar systems. I’ve kept a journal since ninth grade and my life has always been surrounded by books.

Since my first sale of a literary quiz to the old Saturday Review magazine, I’ve been doing free-lance writing. I’ve published over 100 articles and short stories for adults and children in magazines and newspapers. I began my freelance writing sideline when my two sons were in elementary school. I’ve since completed four novels for children.

Years of journaling and the love of travel to places like Hadrian’s Wall, Florida nature preserves, and Tintagel led to travel articles in The Washington Post, the Boston Herald, and other newspapers.

Interest in the outdoors led to natural history articles in The Washington Post and my own “Observations” column in the Audubon Naturalist News.

Joy in birds led to articles in birding magazines such as BirdWatcher’s Digest. Birding is a way I contribute to “citizen science” and teach others about our native wildlife.

But mostly I keep on writing because of the exhilaration of the thing. It feels good to have written, so therefore I must write! Even one nifty paragraph makes me feel more alive, more alert, more connected.