I’m a curious guy. I like to ask questions, and I really like listening to what people say back. That curiosity has taken me up and down the Mississippi River, around the world, and deep into historical events and the lives of people I’ve never met.
I’m not especially interested in reading yet another account about the famous people whose stories are read and dissected ad nauseum. I’d much rather sit in a small-town bar and share beer and conversation with local folks and learn about their lives than read another book about Mark Twain.
I love a good story, and I don’t care much about the format I hear it in. That’s probably one reason I write stories across multiple genres (and also love public speaking and podcasting). I started my writing career by publishing the Mississippi Valley Traveler guidebooks and filled many of those books with stories about the events and people who’ve shaped life along the Mississippi River. Stories that weren’t a good fit for a guidebook often ended up in one of my Frank Dodge mysteries.
I’ve since expanded to other genres. In 2026, The New Territory magazine published my essay “The Long Game”, a reflection on my relationship with my father that I wrote after he died in 2022. I also wrote a travel memoir called Better Safe Than Sorry? Slow Boats, Chicken Buses, and the Radical Choice to Trust the World to share stories about what happened when I chose to let curiosity guide my travels rather than fear restrict them. Sure, sometimes I got cheated by a tout, but far more often strangers blessed me with kindness and joy.
My next big project is a series of historical fiction novels that will tell stories about American history from the experiences of regular folks. Many of the stories and characters will be inspired by own family’s history.
Whether I’m writing true stories or made-up ones, I keep coming back to the same basic idea: life can be hard. People get knocked down. We lose things we care about, including people who matter to us. But we also get back up and find new ways to feel joy, make meaningful connections with new people, and discover novel ways to enjoy all that this life has to offer.
I hope you enjoy the ride as much as I do. Please let me know what you think.
The best way to follow my progress is by signing up to my newsletter (and getting a free book!). Otherwise, follow me on social media where I post occasional updates on my progress. I post most consistently to Instagram and Facebook.