Hi folks: Allow me to introduce myself as Jerry DePyper, a rookie author at the tender age of 62. So far, I have written 4 works, all published through CreateSpace, an on-demand publisher that I have found easy to work with in producing quality printed books. These four works consist of 2 Sudoku puzzle books (English and Spanish), a small booklet of a socially and politically controversial nature, and a work of fiction entitled Hickies, a novella and four short stories. It is this last work that I wish to promote right now.

Hickies is set in the near future and deals with a futuristic theme: that human clones will likely soon be living among us, and what might that be like? But this story is not of the true Science Fiction genre, nor does it rely upon high-tech or sci-fi devices. Its context is everyday life, the weird and bizarre occuring within commonplace lives of ordinary people. The futuristic events serve mainly to raise deep and timeless questions, pondered by philosophers and theologians of centuries past. As a result, there is a decidedly religious flavor to the story line, and it is classified as belonging to the Psychological / Philosophical genre.

Perhaps vainly, I like to think of this work as modelled roughly upon Stephen Crane’s The Red Badge of Courage, both in its relative brevity and in the way it uses a field of high drama to explore the inner workings of the human soul, albeit with a style quite distinct from Crane’s.

Included in the same printed volume are four short stories. Like Hickies, these stories are classified as Psychological / Philosophical since they likewise explore what it means to be human, using different writing techniques and themes. The four short stories are as follows:

A Close Encounter Remembered is a fictional account of one man’s close encounter with extraterrestrials, and what they taught him about the human race.

The young couple in Improbable Parable makes a surprising discovery in the wooded wilderness of mid-continent Canada. The question is: Can you interpret the hidden analogy?

In the middle of fifth grade, Scotty Parson’s family moves to a different town, making him the New Kid at Our Lady of Mercy School.

Walking Home is a subsequent chapter in the life of young Scotty Parson.


Since Chris says that you might be interested, here are a few more details about me as a man: I was born Dec. 27, 1950 the fifth child of a farm family in southwestern Minnesota. I grew up and spent most of my life in the upper midwest of the United States. In my youth I tasted life inside a religious community, in a seminary, and on the road as a vagabond. But I have mostly been a working man, earning my living through a number of trades, including that of mechanical draftsman, roofing contractor, social worker, computer programmer, house remodeler, and organic vegetable gardener. I married Lenore in 1984, divorced in 1999 (no children), and maintain a close friendship with her, although many miles apart.

Due to personal and ideological concerns, I moved in 2010 to Central America where I still reside, living solo in a barrio outside the city of Jinotega, Nicaragua. You could say I’m retired now, but have been trying a couple new things such as writing books, developing and maintaining websites, and learning to communicate in Spanish. 

The web page contains a little more information, including how to order a copy through CreateSpace or Amazon. The web page also has info and links for all four of my aforementioned published works.