Who is Troy?

Writer, Editor, Journalist, Photographer

 

I am the author of the Penllyn Chronicles (a series of short tales set in dark ages Wales), and the upcoming Cup of Blood series of novels.

In addition, I have also written Learning to See Better Vacation Photos, available on Amazon here.

Why did I begin writing?

Years after earning my bachelor’s degree in photojournalism from Ball State University, I had the crazy notion to work on a Master’s Degree in journalism from the same institution. I completed the graduate degree in July of 2015. I’ve taught News Photography I & II for Butler University’s Department of Journalism for several years.

Wanderlust (actually a career-based relocation for my wife) drove us to La La Land. Now, I spend my time writing fiction, giving historical walking tours of the Santa Monica Pier, and playing historical miniature wargames. I also serve as lead editor for the No Dice No Glory blog site about gaming.

The master’s degree has reawakened in me a love of writing. While I never found routine journalistic writing fun, my time learning long-form narrative journalism has shown me how to combine my love of fiction writing with my training and experience as a journalist.

The capstone project for my MA (instead of the standard thesis many other graduate degrees require) is a long-form narrative piece on one of the political campaigns I was involved in. This is a form of long-form called “participation journalism” with a unique set of rules. Now that my work for the degree is complete, I hope to publish the capstone piece. I’ll keep you informed on that via the blog as the deadlines approach.

Highlights of my Career:

  • Photographer for The Lebanon Reporter
  • Photographer for The Goshen News
  • Photographer for The Greenfield Daily Reporter
  • Various awards from Hoosier State Press Association and UPI of Indiana for my Photo-J work
  • Owner, photographer, chief janitor at Troy Hill Photography LLC
  • Media Director for the Behney for Senate campaign (2010)
  • Media Director for the Rupert for Governor campaign (2012)
  • Adjunct Professor of Journalism at Butler University (2010 to present)
  • Contributing writer to What Would Patton Do gaming blog (WWPD.net)
  • Lead Editor for No Dice No Glory gaming blog