I live in Irmo, SC with my wife, Laura, and our two children, Ian (born 9/16/96) and Lindsey (born 6/25/98), just a few miles from the house where I grew up.

Growing up I always dreamed of making it big playing guitar. As a senior in high school, I practiced hard and became accomplished enough to be asked to teach at a local music store. It was this experience that helped me realize I had a passion for teaching.

I entered the University of South Carolina and majored in Electrical Engineering. Throughout my undergraduate program I continued to teach guitar at the music store and dream of making it big as a musician. Interestingly, another group of guys that happened to live in the same dorm complex did make it...Hootie and the Blowfish.

Late in my undergraduate program I came to the realization that I did not want to do engineering as a career. Not one to quit, I completed my degree and took a semester off to figure out what I wanted to do. I was also coming to the realization that making it big as a guitar player probably wasn't going to happen. However, I knew I was good at teaching and that mathematics was my academic strength, so I returned to USC to pursue a master's degree in teaching mathematics. Sometimes the most obvious things take the longest to realize, huh?

After completing my graduate degree in 1991, I landed a full-time position in the developmental studies program at Midlands Technical College, which is where I am now. One thing I never expected, though, was to become an author of math textbooks. Life has funny twists and turns, doesn't it?

That's my story in a nutshell. I still play guitar. I am a golf junky and dabble around at tennis and chess. Thanks for your interest, and I wish you all the best!

Sincerely, Tom Carson