Carl Parsons grew up in the Mid-Ohio Valley of West Virginia, where many of his stories are set. He obtained a BA and MA in English Literature from West Virginia University and completed PhD coursework at the University of Pittsburgh. He also has a MS in Manufacturing Management from Kettering University. After a long career in the auto industry, which included management positions in labor relations and manufacturing operations, he retired to a second career of writing, teaching, and volunteer work. He taught writing and literature for Walters State Community College and worked as an associate editor for crime fiction with Fiction Magazines. Currently, he serves as a Master Gardener for the University of Tennessee Extension Office in Sevier County (TN) and leads the Classics Book Club of Sevier County. His publication credits include eleven short stories appearing in The Broadkill Review, The Raven Review, Scars Publications, and Spillwords Press. His poetry has appeared in Plum Tree Tavern and Literary Yard. He is a member of West Virginia Writers, Inc. More recently, he has published a political thriller with Wordwooze Publishing entitled Trios: Death, Deceit, and Politics as well as a family saga, Locust Hill, available on Spillwords Press. He currently resides in Kodak, TN, just outside of Knoxville, within sight of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. less