Unretired Writer
Welcome! Thanks for stopping by. Here, you’ll find stuff and nonsense about me and my writing life. For 35 years (until July 1, 2025), I was an English professor. Now retired, my passion is writing short stories and novels (and poetry occasionally). Feel free to explore my work and how you might get your hands on it. I’d be happy, too, if you’d follow me on social media and subscribe to my Substack blog, ODD (Old Dog Dumps): Dispatches from a Journeyman Writer. It’s totally free and always will be. The links you need are below.
Full BioComing Soon!
My Debut Novel, Milksop
Coming May 23, 2026
This spring, my first novel, Milksop, will be published by Chicken House press. Check out the acquisition announcement! To learn more, check out my Substack post, “Today’s ODDity: I’m Publishing My Debut Novel. I’m 64.”
Pre-ordering is now widely available. For more on Milksop and how you can order a print or ebook copy, click the tab at the top of this page or this link.
Milksop is Evan Mulder’s coming-of-age story, both funny and sad, kind of like him. I think you’ll enjoy it.
The Latest from My Substack, Old Dog Dumps (ODD): Dispatches from a Journeyman Writer
Where’s the line between having big dreams for your writing and being delusional? I think I’ve crossed it.
In my latest ODD Substack post, “Milksop Pre-Ordering Frenzy,” I share links for pre-ordering my novel, along with two rather embarrassing fantasies, one about a pre-ordering frenzy, the other about Ann Patchett.
Here’s a taste: “I see Ann Patchett in bed. There’s nothing untoward about this fantasy. She’s in bed reading, and her husband, Karl VanDevender, whose name suggests he’s of Dutch heritage, like Evan Mulder and me, is beside her. Ann clearly likes Dutchmen. Their dog Nemo is sleeping between them. Ann is reading Milksop, smiling and laughing and even shedding a tear or two—at Evan’s story, not at the poor quality of my writing. That would be a nightmare.”
Happy reading! And as always, if the spirit moves you, feel free to share your thoughts and the post itself. Don’t forget to subscribe: it’s all free all the time.
