Cliff Ashpaugh

Cliff Ashpaugh grew up in the wilds of the 1970’s San Gabriel Valley, dodging bullets while driving around in his 1964 Pontiac low-rider. Since then, he’s progressed from low-riders to motorcycles to airplanes to scuba diving to sailboats. You can usually find him today stretched out on the deck of his thirty-two foot blue-water sailing cruiser that he calls home, flinging a bottle of Martell XO Supreme around for all to partake.

After performing his patriotic duty for six years in the Air Force, where he worked on nuclear minuteman missile silos in South Dakota, Cliff returned to Southern California and school in the early eighties. He soon suspected he had a gift for writing after flunking his first attempt at Freshman Composition. Cliff retook the course with a different professor, passed it, and then he entered a creating writing course thanks to the recommendations of that professor. He submitted a few short stories that he'd written in class into the college creative writing contest, won a first place award, and has been writing ever since. Over the years he’s won a few more literary awards, including five in the last year, has published in magazines, has organized and moderated writing critic groups, and has participated as a guest speaker at literary events.

Cliff published his first novel titled Josh’s Wall on July 1, 2014 which received spectacular reviews from unsolicited trade publications such as Foreword Reviews (It's an all-around provocative and enjoyable read.--Michelle Schingler), and Midwest Reviews (You want passion? It's here.--D Donovan, MBR), and he is currently delivering the final polishing touches on his second novel about an attempted murder on the high seas titled Tomorrow’s Children.

Cliff says publication and fame won’t change a thing; you’ll still be able to find him on the deck of his boat in San Pedro, snifter in hand.