Though I lived and worked in the Chicago area for most of my adult life (and now make my home in the desert southwest), I am forever a St. Louis boy at heart.

My second memoir, Tales of a Rollercoaster Operator: Stories from My Missouri Youth, is a collection of twenty-six essays about my favorite growing-up twists and turns in St. Louis in the 1960s and 1970s. I call them MOstalgic tales of east central Missouri at a time when children had far more freedom to grow, play and run amok.

The book includes these fun-loving and poignant stories: learning to drive a rollercoaster; discovering the joys of a first pet; embarking on a quest with my father to wrangle World Series tickets; cruising down the muddy Mississippi River and dancing the Hokey Pokey on the S.S. Admiral; working as a National Park Service ranger at the top of the Gateway Arch; and witnessing the wonder in a brand new year after a chance encounter with a mysterious stranger.

In 2017, the book was selected as a non-fiction semi-finalist in the Tucson Festival of Books literary awards competition. It will inspire you to revisit the twists, turns and thrills from your own childhood. Wherever you were born. Wherever you grew up. Wherever you called home.

Follow this link to learn more about Tales of a Rollercoaster Operator and purchase a Kindle or paperback version on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MZI36RJ/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0

What readers are saying about Tales of a Rollercoaster Operator … 

Five-star review in July 2017 … “A wonderful tribute to family and childhood.”

Five-star review in October 2017 … “A light, nostalgic read in which the author shares stories of his childhood. Anyone with roots in St. Louis will appreciate his reflections on the experiences, and memories of the city at a​ remarkable time in its history, the 1960s and 1970s. From the addition of the Gateway Arch to the city’s skyline, to drive-in movies, Cardinals baseball, the wonders of Forest Park, and excursions on the S. S. Admiral, the book captures heartwarming boyhood memories of a more innocent time.”

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