R. Merald Ayer lives and writes in Austin, Texas, where he arrived two weeks before the Armadillo World Headquarters closed in 1980; he’s pretty sure these seminal events in Texas history are not related.

Merald counts among his many blessings, two decades of spankingly-fun jobs including stints as a San Francisco stagehand, firefighter with the Santa Fe Hotshots, singer of telegrams, grave digger, luthier and international arms dealer. That last one isn’t true–he was never an arms dealer, exactly.

Deep-state microfiche records may provide evidence of time-served in local public radio, advertising, and a Reagan-era gorilla comedy troupe. Previous to the publication of Skubalon Storm, Merald penned a children’s story for Ebony Jr., an article or two for Austin periodicals, and the 100-episode radio series My Town Earth. He’s suspected of writing a scandalous satirical website on Texas government from 2014-18; he refuses to comment on the vicious rumors.

Despite thirteen years as a Bob Cratchit-level analyst in the offices of three Texas governors dating back to Ann Richards, he still loves the spectacle of state government and politics–so he writes about those with good measures of satire and whimsy.