Mark Grove

My interests now are reading, writing, and cooking. For much of my 70+ years I was an avid collector. It was one of the worst habits to kick. For 25 years I fed the habit as an antiques dealer. Shopping was half of the job description. Except for auctioneering, I was involved in all other categories of the business: picker, shopkeeper, mall operator, eBayer, restoration, schlepping, trading, hauling, and lately a PBS TV personality (Chesapeake Collectibles), etc. I used to make a living as an accredited appraiser (ASA, RICS, AAA) in Northern Virginia, but nowadays I'm retired in Florida with my Peruvian wife, Chany.

In my Picker Series, the main characters travel about Virginia, The States, Europe, and the rest of the world searching for undervalued treasures ("sleepers"). Most of the anecdotes are based on my real experience. Chany and I actually do travel extensively for business and pleasure. In May 2014 we were in Spain. In 2015 we experienced Machu Picchu, which will be chronicled in the third title in the series, "South Boston Beauty". In the meantime the second title is available now. Check out "Some Kind of Good".

Oh, and there is no plot. It's more of a travelogue of sorts. The way Seinfeld is much ado about nothing, this is much ado about everything about the business of antiques and the psychology (neurosis) of collecting. If you absolutely, positively must have a traditional, man versus self, man vs nature, or man vs man to feel satisfied, then stay in your box. My stories have none of these things.