About Justin

I grew up in Beckley, West Virginia, where I have deep family roots in the surrounding mountains. After studying literature and history at Shepherd University and the University of Iowa, I moved to Newark, New Jersey to teach high school. For the past 20 years I have worked as a teacher, curriculum developer, and program evaluator for urban public schools. Newark is also where I met and married my soulmate. We live in West Orange with our young daughter and son.      

I have been writing either science-fiction or historical fiction my entire life (at least since 3rd grade, Mr. Scott’s class), and have always had a novel either in production, in a drawer, or in my head. Reflecting back, I think I always just wanted to be a time traveler. Either dipping into the future, or taking a bracing plunge into the past makes living in the present not only a bit more sensible but also sweeter. In 2024, I decided to take a DIY approach to publishing and started my own imprint, Paint Creek Press.