Thanks a million for your kind words, Robert. It was cheering to hear that your former agent agreed, although I wish both of us could paint a brighter picture of the realities faced by authors, especially the income gap between the James Pattersons and everyone else.

Do you know Mike Butler at the Medium pub Beyond the Scoreboard? He's a great guy--very responsive to commenters--and a current teacher in Southern California. I think you'd enjoy interacting with him even if you don't write about sports.