A Writ of Passion...

I published my first book at the age of three. There was only one copy -- written and illustrated by hand -- and the press was my Nana's sewing kit. Nana, AKA Ruth Pritchard, was then, as she is now, a veteran of the publishing industry and one of those who instilled in me the thirst for writing.

My parents had gone on a cruise to the Carribean and, to make the most of our time together, Nana decided that it was about time I learned how to write and publish a book. So we did. I wrote with pencil and illustrated with crayon. When all the pages were in place, we published the masterpiece between two pieces of cardboard, held together by a hand-sewn spine.

That early work was inspiration for two works I've published since: Peru: A Great Bird in 5th grade, and The Vampire Rabbit in 6th grade, both of which had one-copy press runs (ala Nana's sewing kit). During that same era, circa 1989, I spent every free moment pounding away on a two-book series that never went to press: The Kidnappers and The Kidnappers Part II. Having proved my success with the hand-produced novel at an early age, The Kidnappers series was primarily a means to keep my creative juices flowing, exploring various writing techniques and experimenting with voice, narrative tone, and the like.

My next journey into the world of writing and publishing came in 1994, when I served as opinions editor of my high school's newspaper, the Jesuit Plank. Due to lack of motivation, and confused by my teenage years, that post was short-lived.

Happily, I recovered from my down time and dove head-first into my college newspaper, Vassar's The Miscellany News, where I flourished not only as editor-in-chief my junior year, but published more than 30 stories in every section of the paper, from news to sports. While in college, I also worked for a semester as business section intern of the Poughkeepsie Journal, wherein I had more than a dozen articles printed, including one front-page story.

Now, at the ripe old age of 23, I write the occasional marketing piece in my professional role as Manager of Content Engineering for Headlight, a San Francisco-based provider of e-learning solutions. Outside work, I edit and distribute Capitol Action Weekly, an e-mail newsletter that addresses current governmental issues and includes a regular "Welcome" section, wherein I share the innermost secrets of my daily life with nearly 2,000 readers.

My latest claim to fame is a letter to the editor that appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle on July 22, 2000. I'm still trying to keep the torrential influx of fan letters at bay.

-Gabe, 8.7.00