My Novels Stem from the
Lives of Real People.
Lives of Real People.
I grew up in a gritty interracial neighborhood very much like the one in Jeeptown and lived in the house shown here. It was a much nicer house in those days, but it got boarded up during the Great Recession of 2008-2009. My father Jack was a janitor in the city schools, and my mother Mary was a homemaker who worked in the Jeep factory, earning a certificate of proficiency as a vehicle technician. They were greatly upset when I joined the Army after completing high school.
My time in the Army was spent with what were called the trip wire forces in Europe, a critical element of our Containment Policy during the Cold War. The people were fascinating, and the various field exercises were interesting. But the truth is that I was less concerned about participating in the grand strategy of containment than I was about returning to civilian life and using the Gi Bill to go to college.
Thanks to that GI Bill, I earned a BA in History from Loyola University of Chicago and an MA in International Relations from the University of Chicago. These studies helped provide a context for the Containment Policy that had sent me to Europe some years earlier. They also gave me the background to become a U.S. Foreign Service Officer. I was stationed in Brazil where I witnessed a completely different aspect of international intrigue. I became fluent in the language, fell in love with the culture, and to this day am involved with Brazilian friends.
When my tour in Rio ended, I returned to graduate school and earned a Ph.D. in Political Science at Georgetown University. I moved to Hamline University in St. Paul, MN, where I authored successful textbooks, chaired the Political Science Department, served as assistant dean for Liberal Arts, and played a key role in starting the University's graduate program in Public Administration. I also became engaged in MN politics and won election to my local school board.
But it would be wrong to paint an idyllic portrait. There are warts on the face of any life. In my case, they included troubles adapting to new cultures, a lost election, financial ups and downs, and the painful murder of our youngest child.
Thanks to that GI Bill, I earned a BA in History from Loyola University of Chicago and an MA in International Relations from the University of Chicago. These studies helped provide a context for the Containment Policy that had sent me to Europe some years earlier. They also gave me the background to become a U.S. Foreign Service Officer. I was stationed in Brazil where I witnessed a completely different aspect of international intrigue. I became fluent in the language, fell in love with the culture, and to this day am involved with Brazilian friends.
When my tour in Rio ended, I returned to graduate school and earned a Ph.D. in Political Science at Georgetown University. I moved to Hamline University in St. Paul, MN, where I authored successful textbooks, chaired the Political Science Department, served as assistant dean for Liberal Arts, and played a key role in starting the University's graduate program in Public Administration. I also became engaged in MN politics and won election to my local school board.
But it would be wrong to paint an idyllic portrait. There are warts on the face of any life. In my case, they included troubles adapting to new cultures, a lost election, financial ups and downs, and the painful murder of our youngest child.
Today I scribble my tales of intrigue on the banks of the St. Croix River where I live with my wife Sandy. One of our bonds is the shared experience of having lived in Latin America. She in Bolivia and me in Brazil. I feel fortunate to have her, to have my surviving children Kevin, Pat, and Tim, and to have the chance to help bring the past to life for our grandchildren and anybody else who is curious. It is not the worst way to spend the autumn of one's life.
Today I scribble my tales of intrigue on the banks of the St. Croix River where I live with my wife Sandy. One of our bonds is the shared experience of having lived in Latin America. She in Bolivia and me in Brazil. I feel fortunate to have her, to have my surviving children Kevin, Pat, and Tim, and to have the chance to help bring the past to life for our grandchildren and anybody else who is curious. It is not the worst way to spend the autumn of one's life.