The Crotchety Old Man

My Little Garden

My garden is ready for a long, hot Georgia summer. A ton of rain helped. We’re six inches above normal for this time of year — most of that coming in May. Getting all the new arrivals into the ground early helped too. I’ve gardened for more than thirty years. Space constraints limited options with…

June 4, 2018
Savoring Solitude

Ten weeks have passed since the unexpected death of my ex and best friend. Our seventeen-year relationship was complicated — especially the last few years. Adjusting to life without him is an ongoing process. How am I doing? Mom says I’m doing great. Arguing with her is pointless, but in this case, I’m inclined to…

May 28, 2018
The Friends Behind my Blog Tour

The midpoint of my 14-week promotional campaign for The Case of the Missing Drag Queen just passed. So far, so good. It’s #8 on DSP Publications best sellers list and has been as high as #6.. Setting up a blog tour is a lot of work. Since my first release, I’ve outsourced the job. Those campaigns…

May 14, 2018
The Teacher in Me (Part 2)

The teaching I do through Cooperative Extension is not classroom teaching. Other than other extension educators, I tend to see my students only once. Over the past thirty years, I’ve presented personal finance information to the public and provided training to county-based Cooperative Extension educators, school teachers, and others to provide personal finance education to…

May 7, 2018
The Teacher in Me (Part 1)

Education was one of many majors I tried on during my ten-year stint as an undergraduate. Thanks to a mountain of credit card and other debt, working full-time (and more) wasn’t optional. I had to change majors because practicums and student-teaching didn’t fit into my schedule. I compared the credits I’d earned to the requirements…

April 30, 2018
My Spare Tire

Confession time. I’ve put on more than twenty pounds since this time last year. My belly is all jiggly and the man-boobs have returned. Pants and shorts without elastic in the waistband are uncomfortable. It’s not my fault. A penchant for sweets had nothing to do with it. My gym closed last May, tendinitis in…

April 23, 2018
New Release Anxiety

The Case of the Missing Drag Queen comes out on June 19th: exactly one year after I started working on the story. It’s my first new release since Whippersnapper came out in 2016. As always, I’m anxious to see what happens. Click Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or DSP Publications to preorder. The quick turnaround to release…

April 16, 2018
Filling the Void

Three weeks ago, my world forever changed when my companion of nearly seventeen years unexpectedly passed away. Grief is no stranger to me. Lots of people who were important to me have died. But this time is different. We’ve lived together for years. The few months he wasn’t living with me, we saw each other…

April 9, 2018
Luke Tanner’s Lexington KY

The Case of the Missing Drag Queen is the first story I’ve written that takes place in Lexington, KY. The thoroughbred horse farms that nearly surround the city set it apart from other places. Ocala FL be damned. Everybody knows Lexington is the Horse Capital of the World. I love Lexington. My family has been in…

April 2, 2018
Cover Reveal: The Case of the Missing Drag Queen

I’m thrilled to present the cover for The Case of the Missing Drag Queen, now available for preorder from DSP Publications. Broke, saddled with a mountain of debt, and dependent on his Aunt Callie’s support, aspiring writer Luke Tanner has returned to Kentucky to put his life back together after a failed five-year relationship. On…

March 26, 2018