Steven Abernathy

Steven Abernathy is not afraid…of anything! It’s not that he owns the recipe for bravery, or that he is superhuman or supercalifragilisticexpialidocious; it is simply that his real-life experiences have conditioned him to deal with ‘stuff’ as it comes his way. The author quips, “I have survived an airplane crash, a heart attack, a run for U.S. Congress (in which I was defeated, thank goodness), and over 40 years of marriage to a lady who loves cats. What else could possibly be out there to frighten me?”

First published in 1975, Steven has written four novels, educational booklets, and columns for several small newspapers and blogs. “People ask me what are my qualifications as a writer or columnist. My answer is simply life experience. If I have a single qualification that sets me apart from other writers, it is that I have a wide range of experience and a pretty sound understanding of Americans from just about every walk of life. You hear people say, ‘I knew from the time I was a child that I wanted to be a ______ (fill in the blank).’ Not me. I’ve tried just about everything out there, sometimes by choice, often from necessity. Among other things, I have worked as a farm laborer, carpenter, assembly line worker, apprentice electrician, truck driver, hospital orderly, teacher (both public school and college), military officer, dentist, and author. Friends and family say I just don’t know what I want to be when I grow up. I have run for Congress, crashed an airplane, survived a heart attack, written five books, and been married to the same wonderful lady for more than 40 years. I have shared a bologna sandwich with fellow cotton-pickers while taking a brief break from our $5 per day job, and I have schmoozed with Bill Clinton during more formal meals. I even had lunch one time with Connie Kresky (Playboy Playmate of the Year in 1969). She was infinitely more interesting than Bill Clinton. That’s all I’m saying.”

Steven and wife Michele currently live a nomadic life, splitting time between their homes in Destin, Florida and Jonesboro, Arkansas. When not writing or traveling he prefers to spend quiet time with family or sail the usually calm waters of Choctawhatchee Bay. All of his stories are fiction, but they are also a reflection of real people, real experiences, and real events to which he has been exposed during his life. One of Steven’s great interests is history, and each of his books includes events that are historically factual, but at some point are ’embellished’ to fit the framework of the story. “If I did my job well, the reader will never know exactly when real history becomes fiction. That is what I like the best!”