I've enjoyed writing and illustrating scary stories since the third grade. Growing up as a loner, it was a way for me to escape and explore the unknown. As I grew older, my fascination with paranormal phenomena, psychological breaks, folklore, the occult, and abstract theories only intensified. Though I went on to pursue the safe path, earning an M.S. in Sports Management and B.S. in Biological Sciences, I never lost my passion for the arts and all things spooky. 

​

I always held onto a sliver of hope that I'd one day put my Media Studies minor to good use. Though my original far-fetched dream of pursuing a career in film didn't come true (not yet anyway), my love for writing and illustrating finally resurfaced during my time working at a dead end corporate job. There, I funneled my pent up resentment for the job's duties into something useful. No, it wasn't directed at the customers (although some of them were testing me), but rather, the energy was passionately poured into each and every one of my drawings. 

I liked to make people think, delve deep into their psyche. Each illustration had a different story to tell. That's when I put two and two together: each drawing had a story to tell. 

 

It was the spark of an idea: Phantom Features. I rediscovered my passion for creative writing rather quickly and started submitting short stories onto blog sites. Eventually, I decided to blow the dust off the CD that I'd saved my high school-written, Vengeance on Trespassers novel and get to work on reviving it. 

The journey of rewriting, editing, and proofreading it several times wasn't an easy one, but it was an accomplishment. When I was in the third grade, I imagined myself as an author. Not a best-selling one, by any means, but one that could tell stories that would make people think. One whose story would make a difference. Whose stories would not only entertain, but send a shudder down their spines. 

​

Vengeance on Trespassers is the first of several in the Phantom Features collection. My stories are neither for children, nor for adults. I challenge the traditional genre-defining categories and chose to boldly write about shocking topics while accompanying them with quirky illustrations. Be bold and don't succumb to the norms. You're art or messages don't have to be perfect, but they must be unique. That, my ghouls and goblins, is what Phantom Features is all about.