Nowen, the youngest of thirteen children, was born in 1959 in Boomtown, Washington.

The doctor told his father, Nobody, and his mother, Somebody, that due to his unusually small size at birth that it was unlikely he would survive past the age of 2. His parents kept him in a shoebox near the stove. They tucked him inside a wool sock to keep him warm. They fed him pure goat's milk from an eye dropper and when he was stronger, minced lima beans and creamed spinach.

Defying the odds, Nowen survived his second birthday and eventually entered kindergarten at the age of ten. Smaller than the other children, he compensated for his fragile size by talking too loud in class, interrupting the teacher frequently, and excelling at reading and fingerpainting.

One day, his second grade teacher called Nobody and Somebody into her office for a conference. She said, "I'm terribly sorry to have to tell you this, but according to our testing, Nowen is likely to grow up to become a writer or an artist - or both."

Nowen's mother cried for nearly three days until Nobody went to her and said, "Now, dear, you need to stop making such a fuss. At least the teacher didn't say he was going to be a politician."

She comforted herself with this knowledge and decided to make the best of it. After all, she had twelve other children who would probably graduate from college and get real jobs.

Time passed and Nowen managed to outgrow the frail and sickly condition of his early childhood. Somebody says it was the chicken livers she fed him every day. Nobody says it was the constant teasing he got from his twelve brothers and sisters. Others think Nowen was simply too obstinate to remain small.

As the teacher warned, Nowen grew up to become a writer and artist. He's gone ahead and surprised everyone with his other unexpected accomplishments: skydiver, Olympic athlete, mountain climber, marathon runner, musician, and world traveler to name a few. His circle of friends include famous actors, authors, poets, singers, entrepreneurs and yes, even politicians.Only time will tell what legacy Nowen will leave behind. In the meantime, he plans to continue his work on the Boomtown books, short stories , merchandise and movies.

Who knows where he'll turn up next?