The author was born in Brooklyn in 1946. He grew up on the streets of New York and New Jersey and created his own chaos early on and damn near didn’t graduate high school. At age 28, Stu started to turn his life around with the help of some amazing people who refused to throw in Stu’s cards.

Stu earned a BA from Franconia College in New Hampshire.  While attending Franconia College, Stu, a journalism major, spent a semester as an intern for a Southern California newspaper. Although he turned down an offer to work for the newspaper, he returned to California years later and made it his home. He went on to earn a Master’s degree in education, attending Oakland University, which was then affiliated with Michigan State.

He earned his administrative credentials from Pepperdine University and his Doctorate in Educational Administration from United States International University in San Diego. And, at the age of 50, he graduated from the Cerro Coso Police Academy in 1996.

Stu taught classes for many years for the University of Redlands and Phoenix University. He spent 33 plus years as a teacher and school administrator in Detroit and California.

Stu and his wife, Jo, who reside in southern Arizona (and love it), collect classic cars. Three of their vehicles are in the Riverside Resort and Casino’s car museum in Laughlin, Nevada. As you might have guessed, one of those cars is a 1930 Ford Model A, police car. Another is an authentic 1978 Harley Davidson Police Motorcycle with Sidecar, and the third is a 1957 Ford Thunderbird E Bird with overdrive, a rare bird, and a Gold Medallion winner in the 2019 Thunderbird Concours in Flagstaff, Arizona.

The Camaro B4C CHP car pictured at the beginning of this novel belongs to Jo and Stu. Stu and Jo’s 1974 Cadillac Miller-Meteor Criterion ambulance is a rolling memorial for September 11, 2001. WE MUST NEVER FORGET!

Stu and Jo share their house with Princess and LT or Lieutenant, two Norwegian Elkhounds. It’s actually their house. Princess and LT rent space to Jo and Stu. Years ago, a female friend gave Stu a piece of advice that he swallowed and digested: “you never fail until you quit trying.” From an unhappy kid growing up on the streets of New York and New Jersey to a young adult battling the “elements” in California, Stu’s skin fits today. He and Jo couldn’t be happier; life is great. Stu is Happy, Joyous, and Free.