Stephen's thirty-something year dream of becoming a writer began to take shape in 2009 when the characters in these books began telling him their stories. It took another three years before he realized that the best way to become a writer was to actually sit down and write.
Stephen’s first novel, Normal? received high praise from Writer, Director, and Actor, Patrick Wang, "This book is a thing of beauty. Here is a writer who knows his way around a pun, a family, and the human heart. Here is wisdom, back in style. The tale is larger than life, but it will stick with you for its honest and surprising portraits of love discovered, love remembered, and love held high in those moments when life demands it."
NORMAL TOO? was Stephen's much-anticipated sequel to NORMAL?. Author Jeff Erno praised it with the words, “I felt like the author had really struck gold with the first book, and I feared the possibility of a repeat performance was about as likely as being struck by lightning. One thing I didn’t anticipate, though, is that lightning often does strike the same place repeatedly. And wow, about halfway through this novel, I realized
this was exactly the case. Normal Too is not an ordinary, normal fictional novel. Like its characters, it’s wonderfully abnormal and memorable, and a welcome addition to the all-time-favorite shelf of my library.”
Over the past thirteen years, Stephen has honed his writing skills and has become an accomplished author.
NORMAL CURVE? is Stephen's much awaited third novel in what Stephen has decided to extend into a series. It has been ten years since Stephen finished the first draft of NORMAL CURVE?. During most of that time, it sat patiently waiting for our return to it, to cut and polish it into the beautiful gem it has become.
In the past ten years, their many rescue dogs have gone over the rainbow bridge. Tigger, the incredible cat showed up one day and eventually took up residence. Stephen currently lives in Kansas City, MO with his husband, Jerome P. Van Wert, and Tigger.