ENTRY DESCRIPTION
This crosspiece once fit snugly. But wood needs a drink to not shrink, and the Superstition Mountains in the high deserts of Arizona isn't known for steady rain. Good thing for the fence that this toenail is still holding, albeit barely.

AUTHOR
Shane Gericke could legitimately sing the blues, having been held at knifepoint, hit by lightning, widowed by cancer, pin-cushioned by killer bees, and choked by a pulmonary embolism the size of a Buick. But the sound of his singing voice convinced him to stick with writing and photography, and so he became a bestselling crime novelist and award-winning photographer.

To that, his Torn Apart was shortlisted for the prestigious Thriller Award and named a Book of the Year by Suspense Magazine. His Blown Away was named Debut Mystery of the Year by RT Book Reviews. His landscape photographs have won six international prizes from Monochrome Awards and the National Wildlife Federation.

Before that, Gericke (pronounced YER-key) spent 25 years as a newspaper editor and reporter, most prominently at the Chicago Sun-Times. He estimates having written more than 18 million words in his career, which began as a high school senior covering sports for the hometown Frankfort Herald, and yes, his fingers hurt. He was an original member of the International Thriller Writers organization, chairman of the ThrillerFest literary conference in New York, and chairman of the Chicago Newspaper Guild. He wanted to be James Bond, but had to settle for Eagle Scout.

After spending most of his life in Chicago, Gericke traded his snowblower for the sunny high deserts of Arizona. He claims about 115-degree summers that it’s not the heat, it’s the humidity, but nobody believes him. Read all about him at www.shanegericke.com.

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