Cemetery Plot - Softcover

Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

I was born in Oak Park, Illinois (near the Hemingway residence, I hope) and went to six or seven grade schools because my father kept opening dairy stores in one western suburb after another. We were living in Elmhurst when my dad died. I went to Oak Park High School for a year and then to St. Mel’s in Chicago. After high school I went down to Urbana to college and worked in the Co-op bookstore. I happened to carry a novel I was reading, From Here to Eternity, into the drugstore across the street. There in a booth sat its author, James Jones, having coffee with his mentor, Lowney Handy. Mr. Jones was pleased to talk with me. That chance meeting spurred me to write. But soon earning a living to support my young family got my attention. After college and the army I was a newspaper editor in Urbana, then a speech writer for GE, and then a professor in the MBA school at the University of Cincinnati. Writing was still in my blood, though, and when I retired I wrote a novel called Run For It! It’s about two teenagers who have an encounter in 1939 with Irish terrorists and the Chicago mob. A friend who has published several novels under the name Ann Bannon calls the book “the Hardy Boys on Speed.” The book is available on Amazon. It is a clean read and a lot of fun, I am told. This time I’ve written a murder mystery, called Cemetery Plot. Both of these novels involve incidents in the lives of a few people in the earliest stages of World War II. Much of the history recounted is true and will be surprising to readers. Further, Cemetery Plot reflects some of my learning while I worked for an intelligence organization during the Korean War. Each of these two books has won a Florida Writers Association Royal Palm Award. Besides being a writer I am an independent professional editor, and have helped authors produce award-winning books. Additional personal history: My wife Beth and I have seven children, 17 grandchildren, and three great-grandsons. While I write and edit, Beth quilts. She is also the plumber and electrician around our house. I think most writers need such support. I’m just lucky enough to have it.