​​I currently live in Tacoma, Washington, though I'm originally from Florida and most of my childhood was spent in Thailand and the Philippines. I've had a delightfully international life so far, having lived in Germany, France, and Great Britain at various points along the way. One of the things I enjoy about writing books is seeing them wind up in places I'll probably never get to visit in person.

I served 21 years in the US Army, and I loved most of it, most of the time. Throughout my military career I always harbored a slightly subversive dream of becoming an academic, so after the army I went off to Scotland for grad school and got a Masters of Science in History at the University of Edinburgh (that's not a typo; I really do have an ​MSc in History, instead of an MA--what can I say, it's the British system). I'm currently working on a second Masters degree, an MFA. ​​​​​​​​

I think I have just about the best life possible -- I teach history (which I thoroughly enjoy), I do regular public speaking engagements on a variety of historical topics, and when I'm not working at my day job I  spend most of my time researching and writing. There's always something I want to learn more about, and always another book, article, or conference paper waiting to be written. I cannot recall the last time I was bored. 

When I'm not being responsible or industrious, I like to be outdoors -- hiking, bicycling, kayaking, camping, or spending time with my daughter. I have an incurable weakness for ruined castles and second-hand bookshops, and I like to think I might have a chance of becoming an interesting person someday.

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