"As Advertised in the
New York Times Book Review."
“Beyond the Sea: A Life in Short Stories” is brilliantly concise prose that will lure any reader into examining his own life by pondering the life author Mike Rodman has present ed. Each page is a mirror reflecting the scribe’s past, yet somehow bolsters us for our own present situation, however it plays out.

Simultaneously entertaining and uplifting, it’s the most magnetic memoir since Russell Baker’s “Growing Up.” I’ve never personally met one character portrayed in this account, but I now know and embrace each of them -- especially the author. He found a new and true friend inside a formerly stale and shopworn enemy: himself.

– Tom Carter:
7 time New York Times
best-selling author



Award-winning journalist Mike Rodman makes his first foray into fiction with a compelling story about the extraordinary life of an ordinary man.

“Beyond the Sea: A Life in Short Stories” is a book structured unlike any other. It is a collection of 40 stories that -- if read in their entirety -- tell the life story of Tim Dodson, a fictional character who has ridden a roller coaster existence.

From his life as an All-American boy and 19-year-old sports editor, to his downfall in the 1970s drug culture, to his rebound and successful return to newspapers, the lead character and narrator takes you through the snapshot tales of disparate emotions.

Along the way, stories are peppered with opinions and perspectives the lead character adopted with each of his many life experiences. This allows the reader to not only hear the story, but to also learn how each story changed the character’s perspective on issues from sports to religion -- and nearly everything in between.

This unique structure gives the reader the feel of many books in one, and it is available in either hard-cover or soft-cover versions. To help with your buying decision, the first story is provided free-of-charge, as are previews for the other 39.

Read individually or collectively, these are stories that reflect the extremes of American life in the baby boomer generation.

Author Mike Rodman has been writing for newspapers big and small, from coast-to-coast, off-and-on since 1975.

In that time, he has been honored for all types of writing works, including: investigative reporting, sportswriting, editorial writing, humor columns and just about any type of writing that can be found in the pages of a newspaper.

It has been his time away from newspapers, however, that has provided the rich life experiences that serve as the backdrop to his first book, “Beyond the Sea: A Life in Short Stories.”

Occupational time spent as both an executive in the consumer electronics business and a dealer in Las Vegas casinos helped supply the layers of depth and exposure needed to write a book of such stark contrasts, about the life of an otherwise ordinary man.

The author lives on the shores of Beaver Lake, on the Arkansas side of the Ozarks. When he’s not writing, he enjoys the simple pleasures of cooking, fishing and watching football.