I am the son of a Pennsylvania State Police Detective. Dad received several citations and decorations over the years for solving complex and high-profile crimes. One of his cases was featured in "True Detective" magazine. Another was the subject of "A Justice Story," the centerfold of the Sunday New York Post for many years. In addition to a traditional education, I also had the benefit of seeing every police detective drama on television and in the movies. Dad would frequently critique these stories for believability of characters and police procedures.

But instead of becoming the third generation of McDonnell’s to enter the police force, I found that my talents lie elsewhere. In high school, I was fortunate to have an exceptional English teacher, who exposed me to an exciting cross-section of American literature. 

I earned a Bachelor’s Degree at Penn State University and a Masters at Marywood University. Shortly thereafter I moved to San Diego where I went to work for a professional writing service. In addition, I wrote a monthly column for the Military Press, and another for a San Diego publication, providing advice to job seekers.

In the 90s, I discovered I had a knack for comedy writing. I wrote for a local San Diego cable television show that had a Saturday Night Live-type format. Over its two seasons on the air, I had 34 skits produced. Unfortunately, it wasn’t picked up by a network.

While I continued to work as a professional nonfiction writer, my creative juices were now flowing. After college, my interest in crime stories transitioned from television and movies into novels. I discovered that the lack of detail and intricacies that Dad complained about were abundant in the novel format. 

"Rock & Roll Homicide" is a serious detective fiction novel with some humorous moments. However, writing, editing and publishing a novel is a long process.  I felt that I needed an outlet for my comedy writing. I found an online format called photo web comics that has been a good fit. For two seasons I’ve written a monthly free online comic called The Dufus Detective at www.dufusdetective.com. If you have 10 minutes and need a laugh, check it out.

After reading my bio you are now in a position to note some similarities between myself and my lead detective, Jason Duffy. In addition to having a police detective for a father, my college degree majors are similar and I also play rhythm guitar and sing.

I hope you enjoy my writing. Please feel free to provide some feedback through the "Contact the Author"  section of this website.