He is the author of more than twenty works of fiction, including The Downhill Racers, Warlock, The Bad Lands & Separations. For twenty years, he was professor English & director of programs in writing at the University of California at Irvine. He is also the director of the Squaw Valley Writing Program. In 1998, he received a PEN center USA West Award of Honor for a lifetime of literary achievement. He lives in San Francisco.