I have a Computer Science major and an English minor.  I've also spent over 3 years working in the media and entertainment industry, particularly documenting tools for movies and games use by companies such as Disney/Pixar, Dreamworks, Sony Entertainment, and many more.

Major influences:

I grew up with a lot of the "modern" forms of media: movies, tv shows, video games, anime/manga, graphic novels.  Although I love writing in the traditional novel form, I can't help but incorporate elements of those medias into my work.  Some of my biggest influences include, but are not limited to:

- Superhero cartoons (and comics to a limited degree) such as Batman, Xmen, etc.

- Japanese Anime and manga, such as Fullmetal Alchemist, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Cowboy Bebop, and so on.

- Competitively balanced, strategic games, such as Street Fighter or Starcraft.

- Single player games with interesting stories or mechanics, such as Portal, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, etc.

My absolute biggest pet peeve in writing is deus ex machina.  My motto is that if the reader doesn't at least have a chance to work out a solution before the author reveals it, then it's no good.