Biography
Ralph Bland grew up in East Nashville and received a smidgen of education from the Metro Nashville School System, namely Rosebank Elementary and Stratford High School, although both institutions deny having any affiliation with him. He is a 1973 graduate of Belmont University, where he majored in English and spent most semesters on Chapel Probation. He spent 38 years with the Kroger Company before being run off in 2005 to spend a few hectic years delivering snacks and sodas to ungrateful clients. He returned then to the grocery business as a manager/bookkeeper at one of the last independent stores in Nashville and retired in August, 2012.
His first novel, ONCE IN LOVE WITH AMY, appeared in 2002, followed by WHERE OR WHEN (2004) and PAST PERFECT (2006). A collection of previously published short stories, NOT DEAD AGAIN: STORIES BY RALPH BLAND, appeared in 2011. ACE was released in May of 2012, LONG LONG TIME in April 2014, BRIGHT RED DEVIL in November 2014, and SUPER SPORT in 2017. He is a frequent contributor to The Piker Press (www.pikerpress.com).
STARS RAIN SUN MOON, Ralph's eighth novel and a trilogy, was published November 14 by DP Publishing. Two more novels, ANTICIPATION and EXEUNT, and a volume of short stories, CLOSE YOUR EYES AND I'LL KISS YOU have followed in 2019 and 2020.
When not coercing himself to write he likes to spend his time suffering over the misfortunes of his beloved Vanderbilt Commodores Mens' basketball team, lounging with his spoiled dogs, or tinkering with his 1949 Wurlitzer jukebox in vain attempts to determine why one day it works and the next day it doesn't, knowing full well that because he is a mechanical idiot he will never arrive at the answer. A lover of Universal Monster movies and British sports cars that don't run, he is the proud owner of perhaps Tennessee's largest Frank Sinatra collection, as if that has anything to do with the price of tea in China.
Interests
Phoebe Jo
