I started writing when I was in elementary school, and I haven’t stopped since. For more than twenty years I worked at newspapers including The New York Times, The San Jose Mercury News and at People magazine. While serving as the associate bureau chief in People’s massive Los Angeles bureau, I started ghostwriting books. I’ve written more than 20 books and four New York Times bestsellers.

I love ghostwriting.  Many people tell me that they’ve got a book in them, and I believe them. The problem is getting that book onto the page.  Knowing where to start the story, how to keep it moving, and the elements that hold the reader’s attention – these are skills that take a while to develop, and that’s where first-time authors ask for my help.

I haven’t let go of journalism though.  In 2022 through 2023, I worked with ProPublica on Train Country, a Pulitzer-nominated investigation into how railroads, as the original corporations, wrote the rules that govern themselves, fought regulation of some of their most dangerous practices, and used their immense power to manipulate lawmakers, communities and regulators.  

My fixation on the rails began with hobos, however. When my daughter skipped town to hop trains, I followed her into the train yard. There I discovered a secret society that, like the railroads, hides in plain sight.  My hit podcast, City of the Rails, attracted a huge audience of more than a million downloads.  

In both my work with ProPublica and with the podcast, I was writing the kind of story that I’m always drawn to: the stories of outsiders, misfits, people who don’t follow the rules.  I have a sense I’m not done with that story yet.

I live just north of San Francisco, my home town, in a brokeass river town near the Napa Valley.  Besides writing, I’m a good cook, a bit of ham, and a great listener.