Mr. Mom's Bookstore

About the Author

If I'm honest, I never dreamed that I would write a book, let alone be the author of three with more to come. My writing story began about ten years ago when I decided to write down my memories of a trip I made to Ireland in September 1995. I promised my mother shortly before she passed a year earlier, that I would find her cousin who lived in the village Kilkee in County Clare. The day I spent with Kathleen was life changing.

As I wrote my memories, I got the idea that the story might be the beginning of a novel. The first two chapters of May the Road Rise are my recollections of that day. Obviously, I changed the surnames of my mother's cousins to prevent them any harm, even though they are long since passed. For whatever reason, I set the story aside, anxious that I was not an author.

Once Will leaves Kilkee, the story is complete fiction. The characters are inspired by people I have had the privilege and pleasure to know at some point in my life. The story has twists and turns that make Will seem more human. That is the main reason that I chose to write in the first person.

Fast forward to 2021. I was diagnosed with a blood condition that allowed me time to write as I recovered. As the summer progressed, I sat in front of my computer screen and by early fall I had written the first two novels and started the final book in the series.

Many authors that I have followed in the past decade mentioned their "process." They carefully develop an outline for their story. None of that happened with me. The story just appeared to me as I wrote. I was shocked by how the story developed as if the universe had intervened on my behalf.

As of Summer 2026, I have self published the trilogy titled Will Nolan's Stories of Ireland. I have just completed the draft manuscript of the first in a series centered around retired SFPD homicide detective Ryan Dunne. The first book in this series is Old Wounds Never Heal. I hope to have it published by late September 2026.

If you are interested, here is a brief bio...

I was born in Jersey City and we moved to a rural area outside of Hollywood, Florida when I was four. Just before my thirteenth birthday we moved to Northern California but continued to bounce around the Bay Area. My mother was the prototypical Irish Catholic woman of her day, so my little brother and were educated by nuns and brothers.

I started my college education on four separate occasions, always letting other things in my life get in the way of finishing. I married the mother of my children in 1977 and together we had four children, all of whom are grown and living their best lives. In 1997 I returned to college and completed my degree. I immediately enrolled in graduate school and earned an MBA in 2002.

Shortly after graduation, I went through a divorce after 24 years of marriage. In 2004 I married an amazing woman and my life changed forever. In 2007, after spending over thirty years in the wine and spirits industry, I was hired as adjunct faculty in the Business Department of Sacramento City College. I was immediately in love with being in the classroom again. I was hired as tenure track in 2014, earning tenure in 2018. In 2021, I retired from the best job I ever had.

Carol and I live in Stockton, California. Between us, we have seven children and twelve grandchildren. We are both retired, sharing our days with each other and our garden, books, and travels.