A Writer at Heart

Readers familiar with the writing of local author Dac Crossley might suppose he’s a lifelong writer. And they would be correct…except he didn’t begin writing fiction until retired from a lengthy academic career and beginning his eighth decade.

Crossley, now 84, did a lot of writing – several books and dozens of scholarly journal articles -- while an ecologist on the University of Georgia faculty. But over the past decade he has authored three historical novels set in the border country of South Texas.

His first two books, Guns Across the Rio (2007) and Return of the Texas Ranger (2009), will eventually be joined by a third volume to form a trilogy set in the early 20^th century and revolving around the legendary Texas Rangers. Last year Crossley authored Escape from the Alamo, set nearly a century earlier during the initial years of the Texas Republic.

This Friday morning at 7:00 a.m. Crossley will be a guest on Lifetime Television’s “The Balancing Act,” discussing his recent writing as well as what’s coming next.

D. A. Crossley, Jr., grew up in the railroad town of Kingsville, Texas, due east of Laredo and “119 miles by train from the border.” He well recalls that several family members were storytellers, influencing him to develop a keen interest in the history and lore of his home state. He also liked to write from an early age and was editor of his high school newspaper.

Crossley briefly attended the local college, Texas A & I, before journeying to faraway Lubbock where he entered Texas Tech. He initially thought he’d major in English, but an influential biology instructor convinced him to pursue a science degree. From Lubbock he went on to Kansas University in Lawrence, where he completed his doctorate in entomology.

An opportunity to work at the Oak Ridge National Lab in Tennessee came along in the early 1950s, so Crossley moved yet further away from South Texas and began studying the effects of radioactive wastes on forests and agricultural fields. His title at Oak Ridge may have been ecologist, but Crossley didn’t really consider himself one until a few years later when he arrived at UGA and became a colleague of Eugene Odum, considered the father of modern ecology.

In 1992 Crossley brought his aging father to live in Athens, where D. A. Crossley, Sr., would spend the final decade of his life.

“We’d drink coffee together every morning and he’d tell me stories,” recalls the appreciative son. “Those things motivated me to write.”

The younger Crossley had heard some of these family stories and bits of history long ago, as a child growing up in Kingsville and he found himself still drawn to them.

As he neared retirement from UGA, Crossley began “looking for something to take up the slack,” as he puts it. So he registered for one of Harriette Austin’s murder mystery writing classes at the Georgia Center for Continuing Education.

“I immediately thought, ‘I’d like to do this,’ Crossley recalls. He settled on a different literary genre, historical fiction. Driving home from the class that first evening he found himself sketching out story ideas.

When asked if he follows a daily writing routine, Crossley responds “No, not really. I’m retired.” 

But he has gotten in the habit of beginning each day with an early two-mile walk, during which he plots out ideas and gets himself prepared to write. He’s in no great hurry, though, and fondly remembers Eugene Odum telling him that if someone can manage to write just one page a day he’ll eventually have something of significance.

Crossley returns to his beloved South Texas from time to time. “San Antonio,” he explains, “is one of my favorite landing areas.” He’ll head south from there, drinking in the atmosphere and doing a little research for his current project.

In addition to writing, Crossley enjoys gardening (“when it rains”) and plays rhythm guitar in a couple Texas swing and bluegrass ensembles. He also maintains an ambitious website and blogs regularly. Check it out at here.

And, by all means get up in time this Friday morning to catch his interview on Lifetime Television!