In Search of the Fuller Brush Man

Sean Marcum is driven to find the meaning of his mother's swan song. The last words she wrote in her journal were, "Fuller Brush Man". She always communicated life's most important lessons via riddles, and he is convinced this is her finale. Sadly, Sean was never good at solving riddles, and his quest turns into an obsession, nearly costing him his marriage, and his life. Sean's high school sweetheart, Kim, had a special bond with his mother. She was also a master at riddles. The one-time lovers have been married to others for more than 30 years. Kim's marriage has been picture perfect, Sean's not so much. Upon Kim's death from breast cancer, Sean receives a memoir she penned celebrating their failed relationship. Her book, The Road to Monticello, contains the secret to a long, happy relationship for which Sean so desperately searches. It is a lesson all of us should take to heart.

Doug has always been a multi-tasker. He was a successful businessman in the semiconductor industry for 26 years. In that role, he did a great deal of technical writing. Concurrently he was, and continues to be, a paramedic and firefighter - first as a volunteer, then part time, then after packing up his sliderule, full time. While a member of the technical community, he had the good fortune of experiencing the people and cultures of many Asian and European countries. This multi-cultural awareness is reflected in his writing. It is while discharging his mission to serve others that he engages with people from all walks of life who are experiencing perhaps the worst, or greatest, moments of their life. They talk to him, filling his mind with experiences upon which to base his characters and writing. Blending these two worlds has created his unique style of writing. He began writing fiction in 2002 as a way to pass time during long business trips. He has finished two volumes of a trilogy that is yet to be published, completed ’In Search of the Fuller Brush Man’ last year, and is busily penning another novel that he will finish in 2011. In addition to organizing his ideas for the third volume of his trilogy, he is writing concept and plot outline for his next novel. Along the way, he moved with his family from the comfortable surroundings of Terrell Hills in San Antonio, to the real hills of the Texas Hill Country between the quaint burgs of Tarpley and Utopia where in his spare time he is a gentleman rancher. He is a member in good standing of the Writers’ League of Texas and the Houston Writers Guild. You can find out more about Doug at www.dbcarlyle.com.