Jim Rousmaniere

I am a writer whose first career was in journalism. I reported for The Baltimore Sun in Baltimore and Washington DC, where I covered national economics, and in the early 1980s I took over the editorship of the daily Keene (NH) Sentinel. I retired from newspaper management in 2013, at which time I began researching "Water Connections." The subject appealed to me for its reflection on how our priorities and practices around such a common thing as water are constantly evolving.

I brought a journalist's eye to the project, meaning that I spent a great deal of time in the field looking for stories that helped show how history happens -- how, for example, a court ruling in one century could have entirely unanticipated consequences in another century.

The research presented more than a few surprises, the most meaningful being the discovery that the biggest changes around water in such arenas as flood control, pollution, watershed protection and law are very recent phenomena. How odd, given that humans have been living around water since the beginning of time.

I wrote most of the book from my home in a tiny town in New Hampshire that's surrounded by forests. The sounds outside at night are those of owls and coyotes; visitors during the day have included deer, bear, moose, porcupines and a wide assortment of birds.

I am a husband, the father of three girls and the grandfather of a 7-year-old girl. My wife and I travel widely.