Gary Showalter

Gary Showalter was born in Honolulu, Hawaii. He lived in Aruba, Florida and the Panama Canal Zone before joining the U.S. Army during the 1960s. Following his discharge from the Army, Mr. Showalter picked cotton in East Texas, baled hay in Ardmore Oklahoma, sold light bulbs in Los Angeles, California, and built cattle pens in Fallon, Nevada (during a blizzard, of course). After settling in Atlanta, Georgia, Mr. Showalter worked as a professional gardener before turning his hand to furniture making. In 1981, he moved to Israel, married, and raised four children while working as a furniture maker, silversmith, goldsmith, and ornamental wood turner. He served in the Israel Defense Forces Reserves for sixteen years, and when not on active duty he worked in government and private security. He has also served in senior management positions in two software development companies in Israel. During his time in Israel, Mr. Showalter published articles dealing with international terror and the Israel-Arab conflict in the Jerusalem Post, Israel national News and several political science web sites. Mr. Showalter returned to the United States in the fall of 2003, to care for an elderly parent. He published his first novel, "The Big Bend", in the fall of 2008. His second novel, "Hog Valley", was published in September of 2010. "Twisted Key", his third novel, was released in September of 2011, and "Lonesome Cove", his fourth, in April of 2012. Mr. Showalter has also released a collection of published essays and articles written for newspapers and on-line political science journals during the many years he lived in the Middle East. He currently resides in Dunnellon, Florida, where he has recently published "A Primer on Roses", a book on the planting and pruning of Roses based on his years as a professional gardener. Mr. Showalter will soon begin writing the fifth novel in his Terry Rankin series.