Quit Harvard as a kid to join the Marine Corps, where I spent four years as a machine gunner, radioman and whatever came along, finishing (like Napoleon and other great men) as a Corporal. Returned promptly to Harvard, got a B.A. in Russian History, went on to Oxford, where I did a B.A. in Russian Literature at New College, and an M.A. and D.Phil. at St. Antony's College in Modern History (Russian) including a year in Moscow and Leningrad on the U.S. State Department Cultural Exchange Program.

From there on to California and USF Law School, from which I busted out after a couple of years and went to Hollywood and the picture business, where I toiled on the West Coast's Grub Street for many years, writing everything from film scripts (shared a Mystery Writers of America Edgar award with Ross Thomas for screenplay of Francis Coppola's "Hammett") to many Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoons (my favorite).

Moved to Arizona a few years ago for some peace and quiet and ended up slaving over a steampunk novel (go figure). Like steampunk even better than the Ninja Turtles and think I'll stick with it for a while.