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On June 2nd 1970 in the city of Pittsburgh Pennsylvania, I was born into a large family rich with talent and personality. As a youngster, I developed a love for reading which served as an escape from boredom. Everything from Sports Illustrated, Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys mysteries, encyclopedias, dictionaries, magazines, brochures, comic books, literally any thing that I could get my hands on was fair game. Growing up in a religious household, my four brothers and I were encouraged to read chapters from the Bible every night before going to bed. Of all the chapters that I read, the Book of Proverbs was the most appealing back then because of its poetic nature and King Solomon’s deep appreciation for the blessings that God showered upon him. His writing is easy to digest and fun to read with a message for both the child and adult. Although I was only a young boy at the time, it dawned on me that there is a joy in reading and in writing and the relationship between reader and writer can serve as a channel to share life experiences. I realized that King Solomon was living up to his full potential when he jotted down those lovely passages that eventually became timeless scriptures in our holy book. While he was writing this sacred literature, he knew there would be a good chance that the person reading his material would feel a joy similar to what he felt as the author. Early on, I developed a deep appreciation for words and their ability to bring people closer together. In grade school, I excelled at writing assignments and enjoyed reading about history. While in the 7th grade, I received the Daughters of American Revolution award for an essay written about the American Revolution. At this point in my life, reading was my true love and writing was easy for me but served no purpose outside of school assignments. While this was going on, my brothers were developing their talents and displaying tons of ambition. My brother Joe is a gifted artist who has been designing shoes for over fifteen years. His website (Sova Design) is listed on this page as one of my favorite links. My youngest brother Na'Im grew up loving arts and crafts. Over the years, he eventually developed a wire wrap technique of making beautiful jewelry. His site (Infinite Treasures) is also listed as one of my favorite links below. My oldest brother Michael was a star on the high school basketball team. He went on to become a successful businessman. My younger brother Khalique was a standout running back in high school and currently works for a prestigious accounting firm. Through my high school years, there were various subjects that drew my interest but by the time graduation rolled around, I couldn’t determine my calling in life. Therefore it was easy for me to enlist in the US Army without much hesitation. In the military, my writing flourished as my love for reading intensified and I finally had a chance to gather my thoughts alone outside of a group. I’d sit in the barracks for hours at a time writing essays that could be twenty pages in length, if necessary, in order to put my thoughts down clearly. The subjects that I wrote about varied from day to day and had no consistency whatsoever. During this time in the military, I began drinking beer routinely. A major turning point in my life occurred when I received orders for Camp Darby Italy. Camp Darby was like a spiritual retreat and a phase in my life where I developed as a person by leaps and bounds. Despite still not being able to figure out my purpose in life, I was at least able to appreciate the beauty that was ever-present in my world. This beauty that I saw everywhere was beginning to manifest in my writing. The essays slowly became poetry. Then I noticed something amazing. All of my writing had a common theme. My early poetry was a testament to God’s mercy, power, and greatness. Sort of like King Solomon, I found myself writing with a purpose and intensity that couldn’t be denied because what inspired him is the same thing that inspires me. Like King Solomon, it is easy for me to sit and marvel at all of the miraculous things taking place for us to witness. It is also easy for me to write about these miraculous things because at times we forget about how much has been given to us. I write to remind people of all the blessings that they’ve been given. I write to reach out to anyone who feels lost or disconnected from the spirit of life. I write for the same reason King Solomon wrote, to share this feeling of joy with anyone willing to read my inspirational words. After four years in the military, I received an honorable discharge and went back home to Pittsburgh. Within a few months, I met my wife Peggy. We started our young family and moved around a lot trying to find our niche. My wife has more ambition than I do. Besides the Most High and the Messiah, she is the single greatest asset that I have in my life. If I didn't have Peggy by my side, I’d still be a bumbling alcoholic without a goal in sight. Through the years, I’ve learned to be more observant of her tireless spirit and other marvelous attributes that make up her character. She has blessed me with a beautiful daughter named Jordan and bright son named Terrell. When my children were younger, I didn’t write anything significant for years. After a six year hiatus from writing, I had an idea for The Time Chamber. It took almost another eight months before I actually sat down and began typing it. Halfway through writing The Time Chamber, Peg and I decided to move to Washington DC. A combination of several things including the new city, writing the book, my strong family base, and the power of prayer gave me the strength to sober up. I’ve been sober for more than three years and vow to never drink alcohol again. Now with my book in stores and realizing that I’ve accomplished one of my life goals, I’m eager to unearth the other talents that God has blessed me with. As either the reader or writer we are able to share positive ideas and experiences through literature that can make life more meaningful for both parties. I wrote The Time Chamber with the goal of enriching the reader's life with joy, hope, and peace of mind.
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