 Like many writers, I have a novel or three in various stages of completion, and (I’m happy to say) a number of completed projects as well. Here you will find samples of what I’ve done, from movie scripts to comic scripts, with short stories and RPG work in the middle.
Update: “Harry Houdini,” my new graphic novel, is hot off the press! Read More »
Scripts
Going Through the Motions
 This complete, one-issue Spider-Man comic script was done on spec as a writing sample.
Log Line: As ongoing tension between Peter and MJ lingers in the superhero's mind, Spider-Man evaluates his priorities as he battles it out with Doc Ock and accepts advice from an unexpected source.
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Mnemonic Devices
 Log Line: Reach into your unconsciousness and unleash the successful person you know you can be! Sounds like a perfect plan—unless your mind hides a killer. Deacon Graves has pushed his mind farther than anyone in search of a balm for his soul. What will he uncover behind the veil of consciousness?
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The Starter Marriage
 Log Line: Molly and Dean are young, in love, and preparing for their wedding day. The future looks bright—until Molly gets spooked by the upswing in the divorce rate. She convinces Dean to sign a prenup stating they have to get divorced in ten years. As the deadline approaches, she finally starts to fight for the life she wants, but is she too late?
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Graphic Novels
King Solomon’s Mines
 Published by Campfire (December 2008), this adaptation of H. Rider Haggard’s King Solomon’s Mines faithfully follows the adventures of Allan Quatermain and company as they trek to far-off lands in search of the fabled wealth of legend and encounter more than they bargained for.
The Impossible Possible: Harry Houdini
 Published by Campfire (December 2008), The Impossible Possible: Harry Houdini follows the world’s most famous magician as he lives out the last days of his life, passing on to a young ward the stories and lessons of his famous career.
The Impossible Possible: Jean Robert-Houdin
 Published by Campfire (TBA, 2009), The Impossible Possible: Jean Robert-Houdin tells the story of the Father of Modern Magic and inspiration to Houdini, from his early days as a watchmaker to his adventures as France’s Official Wizard.
Space Exploration: The Space Race
 Published by Campfire (TBA, 2009), Space Exploration: The Space Race explores the greatest feats of exploration and endeavor achieved by man. Join retired astronaut Jefferson Riley and his grandson Chet as they follow the Space Race from ancient rocketry to the Constellation Program—and beyond!
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
 Published by Campfire (TBA, 2009), this adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson’s The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde explores the dark tale that has been the inspiration for countless derivatives. But none can match the original’s look into the soul of Dr. Henry Jekyll and the revelation of what he finds within: Mr. Edward Hyde.
Short Stories
Captain Stoutoak’s Return
 Sample: Water slopped down the side of the wooden tumbler, over the exposure—cracked hands and on to the greasy bar top, pooling rather than soaking into the wood. The sailor drank the water in heaving gulps. The bartender turned to the next outstretched tumbler and poured a second portion; another sailor, a man draped in filthy once-white rags, with the same wild look about him as his fifteen companions. Around the room they all were, being served water as fast as the help could pour, every man of them downing their drinks with a choking speed.
Western Star
 Sample: As a fortunate bank of cloud drifted overhead, the desert sun stopped pounding the riders long enough for the sweat to start soaking through their shirts, rather than drying up right off the skin. Their horses plodded through the scrub of the gentle mountain path, changing order depending on which mount had more energy at the moment. The woman in the middle reached into her shirtfront and pulled out something that shone gold and hung on the end of a chain. To her left, a stocky man in a black shirt adjusted a shotgun in its saddle holster and then pulled out a water skin for a swallow. To her right, a tallish man stood in the stirrups and adjusted a bundle at the back of his saddle that appeared to be a silvery gray under the red mountain dust. He sat gingerly and spoke to his companions. “Never thought I would be the one to say this, but I think I’ve had enough of the saddle for a while.”
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Role-Playing Games
Thrilling Tales Advance Class: G-Man
 Sample: O’Hara spotted a commotion. Two men in hats and coats were speaking with a number of his officers; when the cops nodded and took off running, O’Hara nearly had a fit. He watched as the officers spoke to others and could not believe it when shortly the entire line of cars began to pull back. O’Hara stormed over to the strangers, who were heading in his direction.
“What in the name of the Big Apple is going on here?!” he shouted. The two men met his gaze with a coolness that was unsettling. O’Hara nearly jumped out of his skin when a voice from behind him spoke: “I’m what’s going on here.” The Police Chief spun on his heel and looked up into a pair of blue eyes that made the strangers seem friendly. A hand holding a badge flashed in front of his eyes, and the newcomer said, “Andrew Franklin, Federal Agent. O’Hara, you’ve done a miserable job containing the situation. This is my crime scene now.”
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Thrilling Tales Advance Class: Gumshoe
 Sample: Mack Brolin sloshed gin over two sticky shot glasses and slid half the pair across his desk to the weeping blonde in front of him. He hated this part of his job; hell, he would have to think harder than he wanted to find a part he did like lately. Normally he would stay as far away from cheating-husband cases as he could and still pay the bills. But Andrea Smith was the leggiest, blondest…healthiest dame who’d come through his door in years; and as close as Mack was to his .38 special, it didn’t exactly keep him warm at night.
He’d been in the business long enough to know something was screwy—wives as put together as Mrs. Smith didn’t get cheated on very often. He watched her knock back his offered drink and then followed suit. She blew her nose daintily and then refilled their glasses for him, setting down her pocketbook next to the bottle. Her pocketbook with the silver handles. Mack added ten percent to the figure he had in his head.
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Noumenon
 I was one of many contributors to this very ambitious, decidedly odd, role-playing game.
Sample: As he strode down the middle of the canvas floor, his hands were clear of the hilt of his sword, but his mind gripped it tightly. The obstruction he thought he saw turned out to be the first step of what looked like a dais. It was a dais, but not a large one; as the shadows retreated, he saw the first thing that caused him to falter: a pair of bare feet. They were in front of the legs of a stool, and under a pair of loose, white, common trousers. The General took a few steps further and the shadows were gone completely. There on a stool on a dais at the end of this walk of swords was a bare-footed, bare-chested man with long, white hair and a very hard face. The man’s hands rested lightly on his knees, and a low bench lay behind him, upon which was arrayed one of each type of sword that General Tarkiensan, the Mounted Terror, had walked passed. General Tarkiensan spoke, and to his credit, his voice did not shake.
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Villains: The Brotherhood of Mahlik
 Sample: “Mahlik guide us. Mahlik watch us. Mahlik show us the way. Give us the power, give us the strength, and let vengeance be ours.” Mahlik was a typical orphan at the Brotherhood of Penitent Grace, a monastic order of monks who made their home in a monastery embedded in the foothills of the northern mountains. He was found crying for food in an alley in the nearby town, brought in from the rain, cleaned up, and given a name. The Brothers named him Mahlik, which they told him meant “Fortunate One” because he was found so young, before much in the way of tragedy could find him while he was alone and defenseless. He learned quickly the lessons they taught him: reading, figuring, critical thinking, and how to hold his tears when he was being whipped. They didn’t try hard to teach him the latter—experience did that, as tears seemed to drive the whipkeepers into greater efforts.
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Interactive Magic
Xerxes’ Doom
 Destiny? Control of the Future...or lack of control. Roman and Grecian literature is overflowing with stories on this subject, and who had the final say—man or the gods? One author went so far as to illustrate his story with a map to demonstrate his opinion. Reproductions of this map became popular, and a kind of game evolved among philosophy students of the day. I have a copy here. It’s interactive, so I’ll need your help.
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