MYRON FERDIG

I spent my first thirteen years in the farmlands of rural America, as most of my generation — possibly somewhat different, as my dad was a nomad — traveling across country from Minnesota to Oregon to Michigan, back to Minnesota, and finally to California. Looking back, it took fourteen schools to complete my first twelve grades.  

Education began in Michigan in a one-room school serving the six primary grades. School books were precious commodities, purchased by parents and traded in at year’s end for the next year’s subjects — and the fewer doodles inside or out, the more the “trade-in” value. I wrote in my books almost never.

By the time we moved to Minnesota I was in the fourth grade, having read several full-length novels, including Felix Salten’s Bambi; Roy Rockwood’s Bomba the Jungle Boy on Jaguar Island, Call of the Wild by Jack London, and a few Zane Grey westerns.

Love for books only increased as I grew — adventure, thrills, mystery, historical fiction, all brought satisfaction — Almost everything I could lay my hands on became reading material — from Men of Iron to The Foundling, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn to A Nose For Trouble. 

I could check out twelve books at a time from town libraries, and almost always had my card “maxed-out.”

My business career included time spent as a commercial water provider; designing and selling municipal sports lighting; then settled in the glass/aluminium industry in the Bay Area of northern California. I held several positions: outside glass sales, general manager of a window manufacturing company, then moved to Vancouver Island, British Columbia — purchased and ran a glass business, later created a speciality home business — resilvering mirrors, restoring, and repairing antiques and collectibles. 

Outside activities included serving as church soloist; member and director of church choir for several years; teaching adult bible classes; and for six years, fostering and mentoring socially and mentally challenged teens and adults.

My first attempts at writing included short stories, poems and songs, of which there were many. My first full-length book, A Lad from Sardinia, was written and self-published on a whim in 2015; today, at 79, I have eight books published, with more to come. I hope to have my ninth — the third in the Gumshoe and Fox series — available by my 80th birthday in December.

Crime stories all have ‘good versus evil’ plots — mine bring strong moral or Christian ethic underpinnings into view; I try to make the characters come alive, to be believable showing their struggles and hardships as well as victories.

I hope my creations — all PG — will have an appeal to all age groups and worthy of shelf space in your library.

I live in Southern California with my wife, Darlene and two rescue dogs, Thatcher, and Shylow. When I’m not writing I might be found playing guitar and singing.

P.S.  Teach your children the joys of reading. Start by reading to them in utero.