Over the years, I’ve written a dozen books in a number of categories. I’ve divided the ones that remain in print into four groups: Science Fiction, Science, Running, and Bicycling & Outdoors. All are available from Kindle and Amazon.com, and possibly other sources.
Science Fiction
Phantom Sense & Other Stories (with Mark Niemann-Ross)
Sgt. Kip McCorbin must choose a military sixth-sense or the love of his family.
Courtney Brandt lies frozen on a glacier, but warm to the touch. Her killer is already claiming another victim.
Valerie Akwasi stumbles into the deadly side of a vineyard.
Michael Graves could be your best friend or your worst enemy. Too bad you’re just an experiment.
Collecting all the works of the award-winning team of me and Mark Niemann-Ross, this book was described as “a lesson in how to write a short” by the Hugo-nominated review site Tangent Online. “From the start it grabs you and never lets go,” Tangent wrote. “In every way this story reminded me how good Science Fiction shorts can be.”
“If speculation is your thing, then this collection is for you,” adds Nebula Award winner Jerry Oltion.
Purchase now in paperback or Kindle on Amazon.
RUNNING
Alberto Salazar’s Guide to Road Racing
Alberto’s name is on this, but that was for marketing purposes. It was originally contracted as “The Essential Road Racer” by Alberto Salazar and Richard A. Lovett and is very much a collaboration. It’s also the book that made me a coach (nothing like being tutored by one of the all-time greats) and led me to become a regular contributor to Running Times, Marathon & Beyond, Competitor, and Peak Performance.
It’s 16 years old, but still sells regularly on amazon.com. And for aficionados of the sport, it’s chock-full of Salazar stories. I still draw on them for magazine articles. The print version is now a collector’s item (even I have none left in stock) but you can find it in Kindle here.
Million Dollar Marathon (with Philip Maffetone)
When Xi, a shepherd from one of the most remote parts of Tibet, flees across the Himalayas to India, he doesn’t know what awaits. But his very act of fleeing – alone and on foot – demonstrates a unique skill. In Tibet, Xi had barely heard of the marathon, never raced against anyone other than himself. Now, with the help of the mysterious Mr. Singh, he sets out to do what nobody has ever done before: break 2 hours for the marathon-all while remaining true to who he is and where he came from.
“A rare book that combines intimate knowledge of the sport of running and compelling fiction writing. Readers, especially those who run, will enjoy this imaginative but fully plausible tale.” – Jonathan Beverly, Running Times
“Sport is about passion, dedication, and competition but it can also be a political statement. From the first page you will be rooting for Xi to find a place to run in peace.” – Amy Yoder Begley, 2008 Olympian, 10,000 meters.
“Million Dollar Marathon is a delightful read for runners and romantics. The background story of the humble Tibetan shepherd who makes his mark on the running world is skillfully woven with a forbidden romance. I read it in an afternoon and was left wanting more.” – Pete Pfitzinger, US Olympic Marathoner
Available here in print or Kindle
Wishing on My Father’s Star by Holly Hight (Richard A. Lovett, Ed.)
Gina Dalton is nine when she discovers the dirt track across from her new home in Archer, Nevada. She knows she’s found something special—her own place to run, play, and dream of becoming a track star. Then her father gives her his prize possession, a medal from a long-ago championship. But the gift comes with a burden: that win was the defining moment of his life, a triumph he would never again recapture.
As her father drifts from one impossible quest to another, Gina begins living for the dream he abandoned: to become a world-class distance runner. But is it her dream or his? Are dreams enough? Beautifully rendered against the sunburnt desert pastels in which Gina first ran free, and illuminated with exhilarating running scenes, Wishing on My Father’s Star is the poignant tale of a young woman trying to decide which of two futures she wants—a gripping coming-of-age story for anyone who has ever dared test their dreams.
“The women’s version of ‘Once A Runner'”–Amy Yoder Begley, 2008 10K Olympian
“[It] stirred every emotion from anger and despair to hope and triumph. I couldn’t stop reading.” — 2012 and 2016 Olympian Kim Conley
I didn’t write this book, but I edited and produced it and am very pleased with the result. It’s available here in print and Kindle, along with more information about the author. Highly recommended.
BICYCLING
The Essential Touring Cyclist
With tens of thousands of copies sold, this book has been called a “classic”–and the fact that it’s been continuously in print since the first edition came out nearly a quarter century ago says a lot. Inspired by my solo cross-country bicycle trek in 1986 (see Freewheelin’, below), this book tells how to do it, both in the U.S. and abroad. Equipment has changed, but the basics of bicycle touring have not, especially if you’re off the wi-fi grid and having to do things the old fashioned way, with paper maps, wits, and dead reckoning. Whether you’re heading out for five hours or five months, this vividly designed, heavily illustrated, and resource-rich guide delivers remains a useful handbook.
Available in print and Kindle, here.
Freewheelin’: A Solo Journey Across America
There was a time when I looked to my future and saw what I could only describe as “a desk with manacles.” I loved academics and learning, but I also craved open spaces and time to myself. As far back as high school and continuing through graduate school, I arranged my schedule so that, weather permitting, there was always at least one half-day, midweek, when I could escape into the countryside, generally on two wheels.
By the time I was 32, it had come to a head. I graded exams, filed the reports, and hit the road on a 5,400-mile summer-long meander from California to Maine.
As an athletic accomplishment, it wasn’t anything special. All it takes to bicycle long distances is patience, a bit of training, low gears, and reasonably good knees. What it was, was life-changing. I viewed it as exiting the fast lane and discovering America from the road shoulder. Thirty-two years later, I still hear from people who found a special resonance in this book.
The publisher, sadly, put it out in hardback, sold 5,500 copies, declined three paperback offers because they were going to do the paperback themselves, then didn’t do the paperback and disbanded the division that printed the book.
I do, however, have a few of the remaining hardbacks. Contact me if you want one. Autographed, of course.
SCIENCE
Here Be There Dragons: Exploring the Fringes of Knowledge, From the Rings of Saturn to the Mysteries of Memory
From the back cover: At their best, science and science fiction go hand in hand. Nowhere is this more apparent than in this book, written by an accomplished science writer who is also one of the most decorated science fiction short-story writers of his generation. Drawn from cutting-edge research in a wide array of disciplines, each chapter explores something new, from the recesses of the outer Solar System to the depths of the human mind, the origins of civilization, and the sub-sub-sub sections of the particle we call the atom. Written with verve, elegance, and excitement—and a focus on how the latest discoveries might affect our future—this is a unique and stimulating book for all who love science and its application to our world.
“If you’re interested in what real scientists are investigating, right now, and what that could mean for our world, this is essential reading.” —Trevor Quachri, Editor, Analog Science Fiction & Fact
Available in print and Kindle, here.