About

The professional stuff

I’m the author of three books, The Revolutionary Paul Revere, a biography of the fabled hero of the American War of Independence, Size Matters, which explores government’s impact on the pursuit of happiness, and Bad Trip, a sharp critique of American drug policy. I am also the co-editor of an exciting upcoming release, The Portable Patriot, a collection of foundational documents, speeches, and sermons. My shorter writing has been featured in, among other publications, The American Spectator, Reason, and WorldNetDaily.com, where I served as commentary editor from 1999 to 2001.

I’ve been an editor in some capacity for more than a decade now. For a few years at the turn of the millennium I edited a libertarian satire webzine called RealMensch. Following that for several years I edited a religious zine called RazorMouth. I’m currently the vice president of editorial and acquisitions for the nonfiction division at Thomas Nelson Publishers. I’ve been with the company since 2003 and have held several positions there since beginning: senior editor, associate publisher, and publisher, in addition to my current role. Between 2001 and 2003 I served as senior editor WND Books, then a publishing partnership between Nelson and WorldNetDaily focusing on conservative political books.

Speaking

I’m available to speak to your group on several different topics:

  • The business secrets of Paul Revere (entrepreneurialism, innovation, exploiting lateral skills)
  • The life and impact of Paul Revere
  • The faith and politics of the founders
  • How the size of government impacts the pursuit of happiness

Email me here for more information.

And some other random stuff, if you’re interested

I’m a big reader and enjoy several categories of literature: fiction by writers such as Cormac McCarthy and Mario Vargas Llosa, early Christian patristics, American history (particularly the earlier years), church history, and big-idea business and economics books (e.g., those by Nassim Nicholas Taleb, Virginia Postrel, etc.). Other authors whose books I enjoy include H.L. Mencken, R. Emmett Tyrrell Jr., P.J. O’Rourke, F.A. Hayek, G.K. Chesterton, C.S. Lewis, N.T. Wright, and several others who get more mileage from their initials than most.

I enjoy walking, hiking, and running. I’m currently training to do my third half marathon. I’m a crunchy con at heart and enjoy shopping at farmer’s markets and the like. My other hobbies include cooking (particularly with fire), playing with my kids (Fionn and Felicity), and doing pretty much anything with my dear wife (Megan).

Contact

You can reach me via Twitter, Facebook, or email. I don’t always have time to respond, but I do read all correspondence.