About

With my grandson Daniel in Thailand

“Words are playthings to Ian,” one of my co-workers is fond of saying.

I admit I have often used that power for evil, assembling the most mind-numbing puns imaginable.

But mostly I’ve used it to write and to edit.

My entire career, I have been a writer and editor, which is a great privilege.

I just had never written a book before.

Taking photos in Latin America

Out of college, I worked at a series of daily newspapers: The Victor Valley Daily Press (Victorville, California), the Daily Report (Ontario, California), the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin (Ontario, California) and the Press-Enterprise (Riverside, California).

I learned a lot from being a reporter and editor. Stuff like, what a pica pole is, and how to split hairs about newspaper style, and where to get a good cup of coffee. (Hint: Not in any newsroom I’ve been near.)

Wtih my wife, Julie, in Thailand

From there, I entered New Tribes Mission, planning to take the gospel to an unreached tribe in Papua New Guinea. After I learned about language and linguistics and culture, God had other plans, and I ended up using my gifts, talents and abilities as a writer and editor for New Tribes Mission.

In the course of serving with NTM, I’ve had the opportunity to visit such out-of-the-way and exotic places as Nakon Phanom and Mae Hong Son, Thailand; some tiny villages in the Amazon that shall go unnamed; several hamlets in Papua New Guinea; a mountain village on a large island in the Asia-Pacific Region; and Roach, Missouri.

You can find out more at my NTM blog.

I like to think that my experiences and training have served me well in writing. I guess you’ll have to judge for yourself.

Stuff I like

This is a somewhat random list of things I like or like to do. (“Somewhat random” because truly random would require math and I hate math but I really like words — so much that I know what random really means.)

Backpacking in Florida

Backpacking

Hiking

Photography

Writing (oh, yeah …)

Reading (I like to backpack to some secluded spot and take photos and read)

Baking bread

In North Carolina

Cooking Italian food (Odd for someone of Scottish descent, I know. Speaking of which …)

Kilts

Church (Covenant Community Church, to be specific)

Julie and me at Florida Renaissance Festival 2012.

Renaissance Faires

Sewing