Gary Buslik

In the third grade, Gary Buslik was voted the kid most likely to get the crap beaten out of him. For the first three and a half years of college, he lied to his parents, telling them he was in pre-law. When he was finally exposed as an English major, his mother couldn't stop sobbing, and his father stomped around the house, yelling, "Big man! He knows the parts of speech!" In revenge, Gary earned an English Literature Ph.D. and made his dad call him "Doctor."

When, later, Gary wrote for travel magazines, he discovered that by tossing around insincere promises, he could get hotels and restaurants to give him free rooms, meals, and drinks to write something nice about them. So he was able to forge a useless profession into a rewarding lifestyle. These days he writes novels, short stories, and essays, and, in case the government should ask any questions, teaches literature at the University of Illinois Chicago.

His short stories and essays have appeared in many literary and commercial magazines and anthologies. His novel THE MISSIONARY'S POSITION is a favorite of the Caribbean tourist crowd; his book A ROTTEN PERSON TRAVELS THE CARIBBEAN won Benjamin Franklin and ForeWord Magazine Book of the Year Awards; and his novel AKHMED AND THE ATOMIC MATZO BALLS didn't win a single thing but got lots of laughs--and a few death threats. Buslik is absolutely positive that his book CHAMPAGNE AND SOUR GRAPES, which came out in September 2025, will win Pulitzer and Nobel Prizes and three or four other magnificent literary awards, including the Amazon Kindle Free Sample Award. His latest book, SISTER LUSCIOUS (August 2026), is now available in print and ebook in all countries except Iran.

Buslik windsurfs and plays softball. He has never seen THE SOUND OF MUSIC or played golf. His former college buddies beg him to play pickleball with them, but so far, no deal--although he's running out of lame excuses. If you can think of any, feel free to let him know. Thanking you in advance.