Searching for Brakemen: A Small Collection of Tall Tales, Short Poems, and One Play

If you've ever wondered what happened to some of the people you remembered as a kid, you know, the local big shot sitting on the bench outside the courthouse flipping a quarter, and maybe that friendly lady at the Dairy Queen who'd give you an extra scoop, or that cigar-smoking gas attendant at Sunoco, and how bout that guy you'd hope to see every Saturday about 4:04 p.m. standing on the back of the caboose waving a big wave to you and your friends. They're all here along with bits and pieces of places and lost faces. Searching For Brakeman is a short, targeted account of jogged memories, wrong turns, and lucky breaks. Take a look and let me know if you meet anyone you've forgotten, as you walk yourself down the street in neighborhoods both lost and found. Searching For Brakemen covers alot of stops, from home and hearth, to careful alleys and hills, to foreign countries with familiar faces. You'll meet magnificent misfits, passive palukas, and mysterious dames- a couple of talking cats too.

These tall tales taste of mulligan stew. And that's a dish that stays with you until the end./p>

Born and raised outside a Midwest prison town, the author studied English at a small Florida college designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. After a brief career as a substitute teacher, he completed an advanced degree in Pastoral Counseling Psychology and moved back to Florida where he worked many years in the mental health and employee assistance field. Later he moved to San Francisco and worked closely with railroad unions as the marketing director for a local hospital.

The author has traveled most of the United States and Europe. In 2001 he earned an MBA with an emphasis in international healthcare. He is married to the girl of his dreams, a successful actress and voiceover talent. He makes his home in the suburban South with five indoor cats and many outside birds. He enjoys playing piano, drinking strong coffees, and shooting black and white photos. This is his third collection of stories and poems.