Tom Sweeney

Tom Sweeney isn't exactly bipolar, but his left brain and right brain have been fighting for dominance since birth. The analytical left brain moved him toward engineering at an early age, when he impressed his parents by completely disassembling the family toaster at age four (they would have been more impressed had Tom been able to re-assemble the toaster, or even if it ever toasted bread again). A definite science geek, he was held back by his creative left brain, which loved Cavalier and Metaphysical poetry.

He worked as an engineer for International Harvester in Indiana, the Army (Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland), and the Navy (Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in New Hampshire), though his interest in all things written kept making appearances in reports and white papers.

When he retired, his right brain saw its chance and beat engineer Tom into submission, and he now mostly writes (though he still disassembles household appliances which still fail to work ever again).

When Tom retired in 2003, he discovered travel, and his inner engineer's last gift before being overwhelmed was to point out that the less he spent per day, the more days he could be away. Accordingly, when traveling without wife Annette, he travels on the cheap, loving third world countries, backpacker hostels, and street food. When he travels with now retired Annette...well, let's just say trips tend more toward Europe than North Africa, they don't stay in hostels, and any street food they eat is limited to gelato, pastries, and French fries.

Tom and Annette have published a half dozen travel memoirs, are preparing several more based on their journals and emails, and have a series of travel guides underway.

They have also published many short stories in magazines and anthologies and are considering a series of novels taking place in various locations world-wide.

Tom was a finalist for a Shamus Award for Best Private Eye Short Story in 2001, but of course, whenever someone says they were a finalist it means that although they published one of the five best private eye short stories that year, they didn't win.