No word travels faster in my neck of the woods than “Fire!” On August 8, a whisper of smoke rising from a forested coastal ridge ten miles as the condor flies from me turned into a shout for help. Within minutes, a spectacular and rugged patch of Big Sur became a war zone as lightning-free sparks ignited first one then two monstrous blazes across the Los Padres National Forest. Feeding on parched chaparral and timber along vertical canyon walls, the flames have chewed through more than 55,000...

I had a blast joining Capitol Crimes’ “Meet the Author” livestream series to talk about my journey as a writer, dive into craft, and share what’s next for the characters in my bestselling Nick Drake mystery series. Huge thanks to award-winning author Jennifer Morita for being a fantastic interviewer—she didn’t pull any punches with her questions and dug deep into the details. And a warm thank-you to everyone who tuned in live and participated in the Q&A! Catch the full replay here:...

My neck of the woods in California is home to one of the richest, most botanically diverse tree populations in North America. More than 50 native species thrive here in Monterey County, climbing past 75 when counting naturalized newcomers like eucalyptus and acacia. The secret lies in our dramatic topography: a dynamic collision of salt-laced coastal fog belts, lush riparian valleys, and the rugged, sun-bleached spine of the Santa Lucia Range. The local canopy breaks down into three primary...

My wife, Annie, and I recently drove through five California coastal counties north of our own to explore Mendocino. It wasn't our first visit there, but every trip yields something new worth sharing. The first stop was in the gorgeous Anderson Valley, whose cool climate nurtures vineyards famous for world-class Pinot Noirs and Alsatian whites. In the one-blink town of Boonville, we grabbed a Horn of Zeese—a cup of coffee in Boontling, the hyper-local dialect spoken there (where a walk is a...

Out here in my neck of the woods—or rather, the nearby waters of Monterey Bay—the ocean is absolutely teeming with life. While the California gray whales have already wrapped up their epic 10,000-mile migration north to Alaska, June has brought a spectacular lineup of other giants to our shores. We’ve had front-row seats to the regulars—humpbacks, blues, and fin whales—as well as rare wildcards like transient orcas, elusive Minkes, and deep-diving sperm whales. The secret to this marine...