My path to literary stardom, identified here as struggling independently-published author, is really the same ol'story. I graduated with honors from a state university, dropped out of grad school a...view moreMy path to literary stardom, identified here as struggling independently-published author, is really the same ol'story. I graduated with honors from a state university, dropped out of grad school at a different state university because I hated it, and suddenly found myself working the control board and speaking into a microphone at a country radio station. I should point out here that I had virtually no broadcasting experience and even less knowledge of country music. I still made it work, quickly climbing several rungs up the corporate ladder and even meeting the love of my life to whom I've now been married for over a quarter century. Our union set the stage for yet another role for which I hadn't planned and had no experience. I traded in my headphones for a Diaper Genie and became a stay-at-home dad. Then, because professional therapy is expensive and creative outlets are not, I launched my writing career. It was either that or a long-term reservation in a room with rubber wallpaper.
My first novel, an auto racing-themed thriller titled "A Shot at Redemption," took an embarrassingly long time to complete. I've since published the suspense novels "Parlor City Paradise" and "Parlor City Payback," another thriller titled "Blind Switch," and I poured decades of torment, frustration, and hopelessness as a fan of the Minnesota Vikings into a labor of love cookbook I called "21 Sundays of Fantastic Football Food: Celebrating the Foods & Follies of Professional Football." I can state with confidence that it's one of the funnier and more entertaining cookbooks you're likely to come across. I think the recipes are pretty good too. A follow-up to that culinary and comical adventure is certainly not out of the question. My latest project, scheduled for publication in the fall of 2023, is a rather chilling psychological thriller titled "She Loves Me Not." That, too, took a long time to complete, but I am quite proud of it.view less