Are You Lonesome Tonight? even had its own displays in many stores.

An author, probably more than any other career, is a product of his upbringing and environment. When you write, you find yourself reaching into the past for inspiration, characters, emotion, and sometimes even tragedy. My father was a foreign service officer with the Voice of America — the official American government radio service that broadcasts from stations around the world. By the time I was 19, I had lived in New York, Washington, D.C., North Carolina, Thailand, the Philippine Islands, back to Washington, D.C., then down to the middle of the Florida Keys. Although I hated having to move so much, in retrospect, I was fortunate to have grown up in such diverse places.

With that background, it’s no surprise that I’ve continued roaming as an adult, spending years in Miami, Florida, Lake Worth, Florida, Emmaus, Pennsylvania, and back to Miami. Then, while chasing celebrities and UFOs across the country for one of the entertainment magazines, I discovered the desert. What a revelation to find that I could be warm, but not wet! Goodbye Florida, the Philippines, Thailand, North Carolina, Washington and New York humidity. Hello Arizona!

Yeah, those 115 degree summer days can be a drag, but as the saying goes, “it’s a dry heat.” At least my hair looks great as I dehydrate.