Steven Wise

I lived in NC from 1971-1983, where I met my wife, Cathy. We have two children, Travis and Stacee, both married, and we have five grandchildren. I own the commercial real estate appraisal firm of Cannon Blaylock & Wise, in Columbia, MO. My love for writing dates back to a marvelous high school English teacher, Florence Hudson, who was both feared and revered. In one way or the other, everything I write is in honor of her memory. She once frowned down on a page I'd written, and said, "Steven, using just any word instead of the perfect word is like using a nail when a screw is called for." I often heard her voice during the writing of this novel, and fervently hope that I've written with screws. The voices of great teachers of literature never die, they just come from different places.