In my late twenties, after failing to connect with a host of other art forms, I wrote my first short story, and since, rarely a day has passed without me sitting down to work. At first, I just wanted to create stories—but in time, I began to write novels and creative nonfiction. Over the years, my understanding of craft and process has evolved, but my enthusiasm for the endeavor has remained undiminished. There is magic to be found in those quiet hours of creating—and in this world of endless distractions, I don’t take this gift for granted.
For thirty-three years, I worked with special-needs students in a public high school—and for the past ten, I’ve taught at Elizabethtown College, where I’m thankful to share my enthusiasm for writing and literature and art. In return, my students, with their curiosity and insights, give me hope for this troubled world I’m leaving them. My greatest wish is to continue creating and sharing what I love until I’m no longer able to do so.
The literary world has been good to me. I’ve published over 125 stories and essays, and my work has been cited by or included in The Best American Short Stories, The Best American Mystery Stories, The Best American Spiritual Writing, The Best Small Fictions, The Best Microfictions, and the WW Norton anthology New Micro. I’ve worked with indie presses to put out seven novels, five story collections, two essay collections, and one book of creative nonfiction. My 2020 novel The Magpie’s Return was named an indie pick of the year by Kirkus, and my 2023 novel The Lost and the Blind was a finalist for Foreword Review’s indie fiction release of the year. Fall of 2026 will see the simultaneous release of my next two books, (step)sisters (a novel) and this heart (a story collection). In early 2027, my next nonfiction book, a series of personal essays relating, in one way or another, to Robert Altman’s film Nashville, will be published. I’ve also done my best to be a solid literary citizen, and to this end, I’ve published over 150 interviews with indie authors and publishers.
Hail, Buckley! might fall into the campus comedy genre, but to me, it’s also a love letter to the places and institutions that, as imperfect and weird as they are, speak to the best in all of us.
Regal House Publishing is proud to bring you Hail, Buckley! in the spring of 2028.
