I know what you’re thinking: “Sure, Steve, your blog is fascinating and informative and well-researched, and I’d totally vote for you for president, but can you write a book?”
I’m glad you asked me that question. Yes, I have indeed written several books. Collectively my books examine a half-dozen critical aspects of human nature and the Meaning of Life, with perspicacity and a dose of gentle humor. Plus, there’s no more than one or two four-letter words per book. So, you don’t need to hide them from your kids, or your parents!
Check them out:
NEW! NEW! NEW!
Finally! After 175 years, thirty-one of Edgar Allan Poe’s stories and poems have been turned into cocktails! Poe himself would raise a toast to that!
We’re not just talking about the obvious crowd-pleasers, like “The Tell-Tale Heart” and “The Raven.” Within this volume you will also encounter such overlooked tales as “Some Words With a Mummy” and “Loss of Breath.”
This book presents an except and a brief summary of each of those original works by Poe, pairs each of them with its own evocative cocktail, and includes the recipe so you can make one for yourself. Also included is a color photograph of each cocktail, placed in a setting appropriate to that particular tale. Finally, it includes a “Poe-script” for each tale that will be of great benefit at the local pub’s trivia contest.
This is an indispensable volume for Poe fans and tipplers everywhere. For more information, or to order for yourself or for gifts, click here.
Sundial in the Shade is my first full-length novel. One representative review calls it “Literary fiction at its finest: an exploration of the human condition that is both deeply thought-provoking and delightfully entertaining.” Who am I to disagree?
The story is set in modern Los Angeles, but it reaches back over 200 years, wrestles with trenchant philosophical and moral questions, and keeps the reader guessing about the motivations of the characters. Oh, and Benjamin Franklin may or may not figure into the plot. I think you’ll find it simultaneously entertaining and inspirational.
The book is now available in paperback, hardback, and on Kindle. For more information, or to purchase, click here.
Selected by the International Edgar Allan Poe Festival as a finalist for the 2025 Saturday “Visiter” Award!
My short story, Poe’s Last Lament, imagines that Poe did not die in 1849 as commonly believed, but instead faked his own death and traveled incognito to the gold fields of California. In this alternative history Poe lives for an additional decade laboring to restore his reputation that had been besmirched by his nemesis, Rufus Griswold. Along the way he encounters several individuals who seem positioned to rescue him from a solitary life of bitterness and grievance. Has fortune finally smiled on Poe, or will his tragic life revert to form? The tale takes the form of a memoir written by Poe in his final weeks among the living. For a century and half the memoir remained hidden and forgotten in a church belfry. It was serendipitously discovered in 2023, edited, and now made available to Poe-lovers everywhere.
For more information, or to purchase, click here.
UPDATE: Here is an article in the local paper about my story.
ALSO: You can also watch this interview discussion about Poe’s Last Lament on the Poe Unplugged Youtube channel.
A Dying Wish is a novella (62 pages) in the style of Edgar Allan Poe. It was an official nominee for the 2024 International Poe Festival’s literary award for Original Works Inspired by Poe’s Life and Writing. In this story the narrator describes his collaboration with his mentor, Prof. Glauben, to push medical science beyond its natural and proper limits. In the end, crucial moral imperatives are discovered. The tale is told in a Gothic style, with subtle humor.
For more information or to purchase, click here.
Years in the making, my memoir traces the making and redemption of a miscreant. It’s a meditation not just on one person’s experience but also on universal themes of family, friendship, and humanity. Midcentury Miscreant shares an entertaining life story and offers a soul-searching contemplation on human relationships. It’s ultimately a heartwarming tale of hope that is especially welcome amid the antagonism and divisiveness that characterize our current times
For more information or to purchase, click here.
Grandma’s Memoir: A Twentieth-Century Journey From the Lusitania to Lewinsky
My grandmother, Ruth Gibson (née Burley), lived through almost all of the twentieth century. A prolific writer with much to say, she spent her later years typing out her memoir on an old Remington typewriter. Sadly, she died before she could have it published. I discovered her typewritten manuscript in 2017. I edited the memoir and added a chapter that covers her final years.
Grandma’s memoir describes her childhood in prewar, small-town America; coming of age during the Great Depression; her contributions to the American war effort during World War II; and finding and losing love. She offers timeless insights about perseverance, human relationships, and the importance of family. It is a moving story about life in twentieth-century America.
For more information or to purchase, click here.
Chasing Phantoms 