Meet The Curious Mr. Blend

Rumors suggest Mr. Blend rides a penny-farthing or that his home office houses skull-and-raven decor alongside an eighty-three-year-old typewriter. Does he even own a penny-farthing? Sadly, the answers to those questions shall remain a most curious mystery. However ...

What can be said is that Mr. Blend was a voracious reader as a kid.

From regular fiction to choose-your-own-adventure books (especially fighting fantasy books, such as The Citadel of Chaos), he consumed stories with a hunger for adventure whilst in elementary school.

In fact, he always kept a watchful eye on the small reading nook in the corner of his fifth-grade classroom, making sure he quickly finished the project at hand so he could snatch the best seat in the house whilst continuing The Hobbit, or There and Back Again; The Chronicles of Narnia; A Wrinkle in Time; or some other journey.

And creative writing was part of it.

Mr. Blend attributes his love of writing to a number of creative-writing workshops taught in his elementary school. Small periods of time in which he and his classmates would craft tales of their own.

He found one particular story, called Gory Story (written by a friend and read in class), particularly interesting. Sure, the playfully macabre elements were fun—what kid wouldn’t enjoy that in the early to mid-80s?

But it was the excitement of a story created from imagination, listening to it unfold, curious about would happen next—that is what truly captivated him. Those were, in many ways, some of the best times of his childhood. And eventually, they served as a guide for his career.

“WHAT’S WRONG WITH weird? Weird's like the nuts in my cookies. It's the nuts that make things interesting!” — Florence Zimmerman, from the movie The House with a Clock in Its Walls

Select Employer & Client Experience

• Pumpkinlight & Co. LLC™ (2026–present)

• Chantilly Regional Library (2025–2026)

• Guidepost Montessori (2025)

• American Retirement Association (2020–2024)

• Laseriginals™ (2022)

• Ox Hill Baptist Church (2022)

• Herndon Elementary School (2021)

• The Werd Nerd (2020)

• CINQ Creative (2018-2019)

• Neil Adams Photography (2016–2019)

• Sweat City lifestyle blog (2018)

• North Star Science & Technology (2017–2018)

• Identity Guard® (2017)

• James Lambert Consulting, LLC (2017)

• The Ink Snack creative-writing blog (2016)

• Allianz Trade North America (2012-2016)

• DeVry University (2012)

• Partners For Community Solutions (2009–2010)

• American Red Cross (2002–2008)

• Capitol Eyes (2007)

• Whitaker Security, Inc. (1998)

Skills & Expertise

• Concept development

• Copywriting & fiction writing

• Editing

• Typography

• Character & world creation

• Illustration (hand-drawn & photography)

• Book design

• Website design & publication

• Live storytelling

• Art direction

• Archival giclée printing

• Digital-asset production

• Project management

• Vendor relations

“HE IS EQUALLY a master of turning phrases and of raw creative exploration ... ” Vail Henry, former creative director, Identity Guard®

“I HIGHLY RECOMMEND the redoubtable and Curious Mr. Blend for his ability to create engaging reading experiences of all kinds … ” Matt Scanlon, chief marketing officer, American Retirement Association (ARA)

“ ... HIS CREATIVE INSIGHT and conceptual thinking are second to none.” Steph Doyle, former creative director, CINQ Creative

“I ABSOLUTELY LOVE the [archival] prints I purchased! Not only was the print itself great, but the quality of the paper was quite impressive ... ” Ashley Meredith, director of instructional design & course development, ARA

“ ... HE UNDERSTANDS WHAT it takes to capture the people's eye and keep it ... " Adrienne Moore, former digital experience manager, ARA

“ ... IT WAS ALL more than I could have hoped for! I can't even begin to describe my jubilation when I gazed upon the finished products [writing & illustration] ... ” Erika Weinert, freelance copyeditor, The Werd Nerd Edits