About Jerry

Ibegan writing Midnight Radio fourteen years ago in a college project management class. I had an excellent teacher who inspired me, and the book became my final project. It was a way to demonstrate time management and division of labor, among other skills. It turned into something much more personal.

At the time, I was struggling terribly with PTSD. My marriage was falling apart, and the economy was still recovering from the housing crash. My life was like a sad country song: I lost my house, my wife, my cat, and my job.

Writing Midnight Radio helped me cope. It also gave me a place to explore what might happen if I didn’t learn to cope. Through its characters, I explored childhood disillusionment, hope, hate, forgiveness, the struggle to forgive ourselves, and what happens when we surrender to our desires.

I knew the story was good, but it was intricate. I didn’t want to rush it into print before I could do it justice. So I set it aside for long stretches, worked on other stories, and practiced my craft. I wanted to give readers a book worth remembering.

While writing the story, I wanted to escape the constant temptations of a computer and work on a word processor disconnected from the internet. I bought a couple of AlphaSmart 3000s, then learned online how to modify them with custom circuit boards and my soldering skills. The writing experience was so rewarding that I’ve continued using an AlphaSmart ever since. I like the idea of such a bright, colorful device creating dark, complex, and deeply human stories.

I proudly display the “Produced with an AlphaSmart 3000” badge on my writing. I also use a phone that keeps me disconnected from social media while still letting me stay in touch.

Along the way, I met my friend and editor, Linda Coffee. She believed in me and helped me understand what to do once the manuscript was complete. For that, I will always say, “Thank you, Linda.”

I wrote the novel’s chapters as a radio serial, taking inspiration from the old Flash Gordon and Superman serials and adding a horror host’s edge. Each chapter follows its own arc, ending with a question, a mystery, or unfinished action that draws the reader into the next.

During those years, I also owned a radio station, held writing classes, and hosted horror movie nights. Stories have been a constant through it all. Midnight Radio is my debut novel, and I’m now working on several more books.

I understand my writing comes from observation and being present. Those are skills I cultivate, and I’d like to encourage others to do the same: to be present with the people around them and share more of themselves. I see Midnight Radio as my way of doing just that: sharing more of myself.