Anytime is a Good Time to Begin: Guest Post by Jerry Baer

Today I welcome Jerry Baer who proves it's never too late to write that mystery!

JERRY BAER:
ANYTIME IS A GOOD TIME TO BEGIN 

It’s never too late to be creative. After I retired, I studied Art at the University of California. It’s a passion that during the past 20 years and has given me a great deal of pleasure.

But at 78, I decided to write my first book and now at 80 have just finished my 5th murder mystery.

I began my first book, Lake Drive, after witnessing a newscast regarding my home town Baltimore, Maryland, and the riots that were taking place. I wrote down my feelings of disappointment with both the young men involved in destroying their own neighborhood and the police who appeared ill equipped both physically and mentally to cope with the situation. What began in anger ended up as a fictional murder mystery with a political twist. When I finished it, I was advised to self-publish. Sue Trowbridge helped me enter the world of Amazon and Kindle.

My second book, Deadly Decisions, is also centered around Baltimore. This mystery involves the kidnapping and disappearance of young girls in the Baltimore area. This, too, was inspired by reading a newspaper article about this nationwide problem.

My third mystery, Dangerous Choices, focuseds on the selection of a Supreme Court Justice by a newly elected President. In order to choose the candidate of his choice, the President leaks to the press that he’s contemplating picking the former President. Because of the opposition party’s hatred for the former President, a contract is taken out to kill him.

My fourth book is A Foggy Death. This is the first book about San Francisco and again was inspired by reading about the horrific drug problem in the Bay Area. A famous interior designer is discovered dead on the first tee of an exclusive golf club. This crime leads to a nationwide discovery of a drug ring that gets the FBI involved. Solving the murder and the drug problem becomes a full time job for two San Francisco detectives.

My fifth book is a work in progress called Colored Black. It’s a story I’ve been meaning to tell for years. The main character, Ellis Cook, begins his adventure into adulthood at age 22 when he is drafted into the army in 1955. Surviving boot camp in South Carolina, he becomes a military police officer. Encouraged by several mentors, he attends college while in the service and becomes a Jag Lawyer. The Viet Nam war and his decision to become a British citizen changes his life forever.

Having been a businessman for 50 plus years, I never believed I’d find new and exciting avenues to express myself. Being creative, whether in my paintings or writing, fills my days more than I ever imagined.

There are many people who inspired me to begin writing and to continue to find new subjects to pursue. However, I would be remiss if I did not thank the one person, Janet Rudolph, whose mystery book club opened my eyes to the possibilities that awaited me if I tried.

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Jerry Baer: www.jerrybaer.com