Although born in Miami, Florida, Bruce never really grew up in any one place. His father was a traveling salesman and his mother, two sisters, and he moved around the country every few years until he was old enough to join the Navy and see the rest of the world.

As an enlisted man, Bruce used the G. I. Bill the first eight years of his 28-year career to earn a Bachelor’s degree from Florida International University. After graduation he applied for Aviation Officer Candidate School and was commissioned as an Ensign prior to getting his “Wings of Gold.” Flying search and rescue helicopters for the next twenty years was the marbling in the cake according to Bruce, and he’s proud to say that there are at least nine souls still here today because he was there then.

Bruce later earned a Master’s Degree from Pepperdine University and has spent more than half his life writing. His eighth novel, Mortgaged to Death was one of four finalists in the first annual Poisoned Pen Press mystery writing contest. It was subsequently re titled Trademark of Murder and released by Dingbat Publishing as the second novel in his Chip Hale mystery series.  

He was a non-rhyming poem winner in Writer’s Digest annual writing competition for two consecutive years. His short stories have appeared in The SandPaper, a New Jersey newsmagazine, and Anamcara Press’ “The Write Bridge.” He and his friend Billy Hendrix coauthored a Christmas play titled, Noel Noir, that was a world-premiere main stage production for the Anacortes Community Theatre in 2018 and sold out every performance.