About the Author

Tom is a best-selling and award-winning children's book author who has been featured by media outlets, such as CBS-Philly, South Jersey Magazine, South Jersey Local, and Gay Parent Magazine. Tom is a frequently invited guest on national podcasts, including the two-time People’s Choice Podcast Award winner, The Queer Family Podcast. Tom is also a children's book reviewer for the Dear Author Book Review program sponsored by Speak Up Talk Radio.

Tom was born and raised in Southern New Jersey. Growing up in rural America, Tom has a deep sense of community - when our families, neighbors, farmers, local businesses, and organizations all work together in support of each other, it strengthens us and our community. Tom enjoys in-person events, where has the opportunity to meet and engage with members of the local community.

Tom is also a proud Gen-Xer. The 1980s was, arguably, the best decade ever, and Tom fondly recalls influences from this era that will likely resonate with others as well. Some of these reflections include:

Image credit: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/76279787433035985/

• "Surfing" in the back of Grandmom's station wagon,
• The Sears holiday "Wish Book,"
• Peddling a 10-speed Schwinn with no helmet,
• Captain Noah, Captain Kangaroo, and locally, Al Albert's (aka "Uncle Al") Showcase (technically, some of these may be the 70s)
• Being a latch-key kid ,
• Atari 4600,
• Pac Man and Ms. Pac Man,
• Judy Blume and Beverly Cleary,
• After-school specials and Ultraman (did you know there is a 2026 movie reboot? Look for on Netflix, it's pretty good),
• Smurfs (Vanity Smurf was gay, right?),
• Boy perms (see above photo),
• Encyclopedias and "Encyclopedia Brown",
• Wall-mounted telephones and busy signals,
• Mixed tapes,
• Friday Night Videos and MTV,
• Culture Club, Cyndi Lauper, Twisted Sister, Poison (my first concert), Tina Turner, Live Aid, We Are the World, Hands Across America ... oh, this list could go on and on,
• OP corduroy shorts

Well you get the idea.

Image credit: Lets Stop Aids; "The Risk of Sex, Love, & Passion : How the HIV Crisis Continues to Impact the Queer Community" (https://letsstopaids.org/papaya/the-risk-of-sex-love-and-passion)

While Tom recalls these moments fondly, like any other time in history, the 80s were not without its traumatic events. These included the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster, the "Cold War," Tiananmen Square, images of starving children in Ethiopia, and, of course, the AIDS crisis, to name just a few.
As a young boy in the height of his sexual development and an awareness of his sexual identity, growing up in conservative, rural American couples with the AIDS scare had a profound impact. Sprinkle in a few other contributing factors and the result was a deeply repressed sense of self that would have a long lasting impact. This would take years from which to heal.

Tom "came out" at the age of 30 and today, he is living proof that "it gets better." He and his husband have been together for nearly 15 years and married for more than 10. They have two young daughters who are learning to appreciate the good parts of the 80s and 90s (Tom's husband is a Millennial) while they help their dads stay in touch with all things 21st century.

As a gay dad and a father of transracial daughters, Tom is now committed to advancing children’s stories that are inclusive of diverse families, especially LGBTQ+ families who have been historically under-represented in children's books. Tom knows first hand how important it is to see people like yourself all around you, including books. He often thinks back to his youth and wonders how life may have been different if he saw that it was "okay to be gay" somewhere ... anywhere. He takes inspiration from his own lived experiences as well as the experiences of his family to provide greater authenticity to his creative work. His books are helping to fill a gap in children's literature, but more importantly, Tom just wants others to be able to open a book and be able to say, "Hey, they're just like our family."

Professionally, Tom is a NJ Licensed Clinical Social Worker and has worked with at-risk youth, families, and individuals living with mental illness for most of his career. Through that work, he has come to appreciate the importance of sharing one's lived experience with others through authentic story-telling. He hopes his kids books help others feel more seen and valued.