What I Am Famous For, What I Am Not Famous For

by | Jul 9, 2026 | Pirates of Sausalito

Last month, I walked down the hill to The Junction, a beer garden in Tam Junction, to join a hundred or so Deadheads for a free “Dead At The Junction” concert hosted by Alex Jordan. I ran into some friends who are regulars at Dead-adjacent concerts and I also chatted with three strangers, all of whom knew who I was.

“You’re the crossing guard guy,” one said.

I am a bit famous, arguably infamous, in my small community of Tam Valley. Primarily because I’ve been a crossing guard for seven years, on Shoreline Highway, kitty corner from Good Earth Natural Foods, for those who know the area.

Of course, I wear a fluorescent yellow vest, which says “CROSSING GUARD” in bold black type on the back, and a matching hat. Plus my stop sign. So I’m very visible.

I am also known for doing exercises on my corner. Every shift, morning and afternoon, I do six sets of bicep curls with a red resistance band with black handles, plus two sets of lunges. A passer-by who teaches at a gym once praised me on my technique!

Here I am at my corner on Halloween in 2023, wearing a prop from “Sausalypso Houseboat Wars Murder Mystery,” the play that I adapted into the novel, Pirates of Sausalito.

I am also frequently spotted walking to and from my corner, to pickleball at our local park, or to the Tam Valley Community Center, for murder mystery rehearsals and performances.

I’ve achieved a small bit of fame as an actor in these murder mystery plays, as well as a writer and director — we perform our show four times each year and usually sell out, so that’s an audience of about four hundred every year.

Over the years, I’ve also volunteered at Creekside Friday, serving beer and wine, or preparing buns for burgers and hot dogs. Three or four times, I’ve volunteered for the Crab Feed, a couple times for Oktoberfest.

In short, I am famous, or at least well-known, in my community, primarily for being a crossing guard, but also to a lesser extent, for walking, acting, volunteering, and playing pickleball.

What I am not famous for, alas, is writing novels. I’ve written four novels, but that’s more of a secret than I’d like it to be.

True, there are dozens of friends and acquaintances who know I’m an author, and many have purchased or read or listened to my books. Or come to my author events. And now and then I hand out bookmarks promoting my books or upcoming events.

Of course, the main reason I’m not famous for being an author is that I don’t write in public, but in my teeny-weeny book-lined study that used to be a storage shed.

Here I am tabling at Maritime Day in the Park two years ago, right where some of the true events Pirates of Sausalito is based on took place. I’ll be there this year on August 1. It’s free, with live music and food and drink. Come and say hello.

And I don’t walk around the neighborhood with a fluorescent vest that says “AUTHOR.” I could.

I do have a book bag that says “ASK ME ABOUT MY BOOK” and I have draped it around my neck at festivals and book fairs.

I am writing another book, which I hope to publish next year, and who knows, after that I might not only be famous in Tam Valley but worldwide. A guy can dream.

 

Election Season Thrillers Redux

by | Jul 7, 2026 | Bones in the Wash, Wasted

As election season heats up, I’ve been percolating on relaunching my first two books, both of which unfold as Election Day approaches.

Bones in the Wash: Politics is Tough. Family is Tougher, my first novel, and — don’t tell my other books — my favorite, is set during the 2008 presidential campaign in New Mexico.

Albuquerque Mayor Tomas Zamara  is charged with doing “whatever it takes” to deliver the state’s electoral votes for John McCain, including suppressing voter registration efforts, though those efforts will seem tame compared to today. Zamara’s also grappling with a fierce opponent, a volatile new woman, and a demanding family. When a flash flood unearths the skeleton of his long-missing wife, investigators zero in on him as a suspect.

Wasted: Murder in the Recycle Berkeley Yard is set in the gritty and malodorous world of garbage and recycling, and explores rich and resonant themes of reinvention, transition, and discarding that which no longer serves us. Wasted is part mystery, part love triangle, and part political satire, plus it’s a gentle mocking of Berkeley, where I lived for thirty years.

Berkeley reporter Brian Hunter investigates the “recycling wars,” finds the body of his friend Doug crushed in an aluminum bale, and hunts down the murderer, all the while trying to win the heart of Barb, Doug’s former lover, now a suspect in his murder.

 

 

I hosted more than a dozen book launch events in 2014, 2015, and 2016, when these two books were published, but that was years ago, and times have changed. I wrote those books as “contemporary” novels, but now they’re practically historical novels. About times that seem innocent by today’s standards. Like watching “West Wing” reruns — oh how sweet, the president cares about integrity.

I imagine one or more events in Marin, where I live, and one or more in the East Bay.

I recently helped a friend with his book launch and one of his events was a house party, hosted by friends of his in Lafayette, open to friends of the author as well as the hosts, and that was a lot of fun.

Let me know what you think of this relaunch idea. Might you come to an Election Season Thrillers book launch event? Would you like to host one?  Let me know by email or in the comments below.