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S.L. Baer
Even
before graduating from high school, S.L. Baer abandoned his dream of writing
in order to become an eye doctor. But eventually he reached that point in
life where his passion for reading had to turn him back to writing, and
he began Appalachian Spring: A Novel
which he published in February 2005. He set the novel
in a place he loves with characters doing what he loves: hiking and backpacking
on the Appalachian Trail in the Smokies. He has an intense interest in what
goes on in the minds of people facing crises and adversity, so his characters
in Appalachian Spring
quickly find themselves in over their heads, enduring hardships both
internal and external.
Born in Decatur, Georgia, he received a B.A. in foreign languages from the University of Memphis, before going on to collect majors or minors in biology, physics, mathematics and history, then receiving a doctorate in optometry from Southern College. He has lived in various places throughout the South including Atlanta, Florida, South Carolina, West Tennessee, Middle Tennessee, and finally Knoxville, where he intends to stay except when Wanderlust sweeps him away to the wilds and cultures of the Rockies or the Alps and Apennines.
His next novel starts where he started: Decatur, Georgia in the 1960s. It only starts there and he does not yet know where it will end up. He is also researching two historical novels, one set in the East Tennessee–North Georgia region during frontier and Civil War times, a second set in Southern Germany and Northern Italy during World War II. These novels will continue the themes of people facing adversity and how they overcome or capitulate. He loves short stories and has written many, but he has yet to write one he wants to publish.
When not writing or working his day job, he is traveling, planning a trip, hiking, enjoying friends and music, or walking dreamily through the streets of downtown Knoxville. He has been a member of the Knoxville Writers’ Guild for several years. Visit Baer's website at http://www.slbaer.com.