Ralph D. James

Long ago, a high school creative writing teacher told Ralph James he had an excellent grasp of the absurd.

In 2014, retired after forty years in the engineering and construction industry, he created sample blog templates to show writers how he could help them promote their work. He wrote several paragraphs of content for each different genre's template.

His lovely bride, Clarice G. James, a writer herself, suggested he expand one of them into a short story. The result was Just West of Clovis, which debuted in the anthology Out of the Storm. Since then, eight other tales have joined "Clovis" in his new anthology, "Premium Mixed Nuts."

Perhaps his teacher was right.

Ralph and Clarice live in New Hampshire. He lured her from Cape Cod with glowing promises of city water and trash pick-up. She's not sure whether to forgive him.