Rick Maier grew up in Delaware and moved to Macon in 1984. Affections for his adopted hometown are evident in Orange Terrace as well as his earlier novels, Bone Dust and Exit South. In addition to raising three teenagers and managing finances at Wesleyan College, Rick is active in the community.
More biographical highlights
- Born (1951) and raised in Wilmington, Delaware
- Graduated from Mt. Pleaseant HS and the University of Delaware
- Moved to Baltimore to work at a “Big 8″ accounting firm
- Moved to Valley Forge, Pennsylvania area to work at IKON Office Solutions
- Moved to Macon, Georgia in 1984 as CFO of an IKON region, then became division president of a captive leasing operation
- Began as VP-Treasurer at Wesleyan College in 2000
- Three teenage children – Matthew, Madison and Morgan - who attend Stratford Academy
- Began writing articles and books in the 1990s
- Involved with multiple community boards (past and present) - Rotary Club of Downtown Macon, Stratford Academy, Ocmulgee Heritage Trail, college CFO groups, Martha Bowman United Methodist Church, Macon Museum of Arts & Sciences and Chamber of Commerce.
More personal background
I majored in accounting in college to avoid a lot of reading and writing. As my career in corporate finance advanced, I realized that writing was the key to getting things done; soon my co-workers were calling me ‘memo man’. In the mid-nineties, I began writing editorials to our local paper and took a couple creative writing courses at Wesleyan College. Just as 5K road races lead to 10Ks which lead to marathons, short articles led to longer pieces and I began writing Bone Dust in 1998.
It takes me a few months to write a novel, and years to edit. I ask friends to read the story along the way and take their comments to heart. This collaborative style works for me, and I hope my friends realize how much I appreciate their help.
Writing is now a primary hobby for me, although it’s not always easy to find time between the often pressing demands of kids, work and social activities. I’ve also found that reading popular fiction is a great way to improve my own writing skills.
The most popular authors (e.g. Dan Brown, John Grisham, J. K. Rowling) took ten years and three books to get noticed. Orange Terrace represents the first decade and third book of my adventure.