William J. Palmer and Maryann grew up in Akron, Ohio in the 1940s and 50s. They spent the 1960s in South Bend and Columbus while he completed his BA at Notre Dame, MA at Ohio State, and PhD at Notre Dame. Maryann worked as a Registered Nurse to support the family during his studies. He later became Professor of English and American Literature and Film Studies at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana.

Besides his academic books of literary criticism and film studies, he has published 14 novels: four in his Mr. Dickens series of Victorian murder mysteries, three in The Wabash Trilogy set in Indiana, three contemporary international thrillers, and four in his Sherlock Jones series of hard-boiled detective novels set in 2020s Los Angeles. A Literary Life is the memoir of his writing career and the 76-year love story of him and Maryann, marked by triumph and tragedy. It is the chronicle of their life in America and Europe across the late 20th and early 21st centuries.

He and Maryann now split their time between West Lafayette, Indiana, Akron, Ohio, and Los Angeles, California. This book is as much hers as his. Together, they continue to live a life full of books, family, and the simple joys that have always mattered most.

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