About me

Some blogging expert said it’s a good idea to have an “About me” page even if you call it something else, so now I have one. Welcome to it.

Here goes…

Me in 2023. A little Instagram story about where.

I write Non-AI* fiction, nonfiction and poetry and am open to taking on editing projects. Outside of writer and editor, my various other identities include husband, dad, cyclist, hiker, University of Iowa journalism grad and U.S. Navy veteran.

From 2011 through April 2023, I wrote and edited technical prose, news articles, reports and other web content for the National Center for Atmospheric Research. A couple of links:

Early in my career, I worked as a reporter for three daily newspapers, including The Daily Iowan, then edited copy for a newspaper syndicate. Later I was a PR guy for a few years.

Before all that, I worked as a dishwasher and busboy at a restaurant, then behind a soda fountain in a drugstore. For those of you who don’t know about soda fountains, which is where soda jerks do their thing – or maybe did their thing – you can learn about them here. The well-known, erstwhile pharmacy where I worked in high school still filled prescriptions back then. We delivered them by car to customers when we weren’t making shakes, sundaes, lime phosphates and other treats.

I was a drug-running soda jerk.

Fiction and the old neighborhood

In my reporter days, I covered school board and area education agency doings in addition to general assignment work, and I filled in occasionally on the police and courthouse beats. (Ever since, I’ve encouraged people to serve on a jury at least once if they ever have the chance. I’ve been on two juries so far.)

Red Dog Smith

A bit later in Des Moines, I edited nationally syndicated opinion, health and home-repair columns. A sewing column, too. Seriously.

Proofreading crossword puzzles for the old Register and Tribune Syndicate in Des Moines inspired my first crime novel. Bicycling, craft breweries, social media and commuting by bus inspired the second.

My wife Susan and I live in Colorado now. We enjoy reading, cycling, hiking (with and without Red Dog Smith), hanging out with our Colorado daughter and our Utah granddaughter and her parents, travel, and snowshoeing on the Grand Mesa.

A few final notes:

  • Every writer should study, understand and protect the First Amendment.
  • I now have a single Mastodon account here on spore.social instead of two Twitter accounts (long story).
  • Mrs. Smith is not responsible for anything I write here or anywhere else. I have only myself to blame.

Any questions?

Just ask.

* Words are selected and placed in order entirely by a human author and/or human co-authors rather than by an artificial-intelligence model.