Oh no… you’re not gonna make me write a bio about myself, No sir! Never again! OK well maybe just a little…
My name is Barton K. Mann. I guess this is where I am supposed to explain who I am. Yikes. The last time I did one of these was on a dating web site and that turned out to be a disaster. I exaggerated everything about myself, which I found out will only get you so far, until you get caught. Well I can tell you sincerely that I am not 6’6”, I do not own my own dolphin habitat, and I did not win the Costa Rican Intramural Limbo Championship of 2011.

Here are some real facts. I was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. I lived in the canyons above Beverly Hills. One canyon over to the right was home to many superstar musicians, my canyon was home to many movie stars, and the canyon over to the left was where Charlie Manson did his thing. So growing up in that world was a bit unusual. Eventually after I spent 3-1/2 years in college trying to figure out what I really wanted to do, I dropped out to find out where I was going. Then I spent 13 fantastic years as an entertainment journalist/columnist, which allowed me to sit and talk with many great artists (actors, actresses, directors, animators, musicians, producers, etc), who also happened to be celebrities. I say that because I was interested in their process, not their fame. During those years, in order to make enough money to eat, I also spent stretches as a computer graphics artist, photographer, radio disk jockey, publicist, film editor (in the porn industry – a very brief but hilarious add to my resume), concert producer/emcee, warehouse manager, service technician at a hair transplant office and more… sheesh I’m tired just thinking about it. After all that I took a left turn and spent 10 years as a caregiver to my parents. First for my mother and then for my father. It was the most rewarding of all my jobs, but the hardest as well.

Now I am just me again. Trying to figure out what to do next. In the meantime I moved to Louisville Kentucky to be near friends and started working on a novel, seriously this time.