"My name is Ethan Canfield Ballard. It wasn't always my name, though. It used to be Pups, Pups Swift, to be exact. Unfortunately, I do not have a good origin story for that name; it seems to be one of those 'always been' sorts of things. Sticky. I survived the orphanage, or vice versa. But once I was out, the wide world was mine. What I didn't know was that a simple blood donation in a truck parked by my favorite library would change everything. Then I met Sean Challe, who had figured out how to turn a profit with my unique DNA ability. That, it turned out, made me special."

That unplanned blood donation set off a cascade of events that identified Pups as a medical miracle of sorts. He was naively sucked into a world where the business of legacy meets the science of blood.

I have been a professional writer for over twenty years. And although the lure of creating content for a nonfictional world (finance, business, etc.) remains an attractive alternative to my NEED to write, I no longer have the passion for that genre.

Over the last several years, since walking away from that world in 2018, I have refocused my efforts on fiction. I have learned several things as I dabble in various styles of varying lengths. I prefer writing novels. However, a collection of short stories is being gathered. There is a seventh novel, which I have queried with little success. The release on this platform is now scheduled for May 1, 2023.

I hope you enjoy my work. It is a bit dark, perhaps slightly misanthropic, or at least my main characters tend to be, but hopeful. Even when isolation is preferable, these tales allow well-meaning social interactions with supporting characters. Ironically, I do consider my novels to be love stories.

I have lived in Portland, OR with my wife for almost four decades.