Wm Ryle is the pen name of William L. Ryle, Jr. He and his wife Rose Joyce Quinn Ryle were married in 1967 and have now four grandchildren by their sons, Peyton and his wife Tammy, and by Chris and his wife Andrea. They have no daughters, and love these two given in marriage as their own. Born in Columbus, Georgia on January 18th, 1944, the author moved to Hazlehurst, Georgia in 1959. He graduated from high school in 1962. William Sr. retired from the Army in 1959, and began tending the family farm of some 247 acres in Hazlehurst. The farm was purchased by his grandfather John Floyd Ryle in 1906. This 247-acre farm still remains in the family. After high school, William Jr. obtained his A.S. degree from South Georgia College, and his B.B.A. from the University of Georgia. Entering the Army as a private upon graduation, he completed basic training at Ft. Dix, New Jersey. Upon graduation from the Army's Officer Candidate School at Ft. Benning, Georgia, he was commissioned 2nd LT on 29 April 1969. The author completed his tour of service in 1972 as a captain and battalion staff officer (S-4) of the 2nd Battalion, 4th Infantry which was attached to the Pershing Missile Command in Germany. The author was retired at age 57 from Koger Office Parks as general manager of the Koger Office Center in Nashville, Tennessee. This was an unexpected retirement coming from the takeover of Koger Equity, Inc. and the subsequent sale of all Koger Office Parks. The author and his wife returned "home" to Hazlehurst in 2001, and now live happily among family, friends and loving neighbors in that little south Georgia town where they first met.

Poetry and knee-slapping humor under the same Cover? Yes, and by the same author. Imagine sitting around a fireplace or pot bellied stove in the wintertime, perhaps on a cold drizzly day, listening to old-timers match stories and tales for the sake of entertainment and trying to out-do one another. "Hometown Tales, Short and Tall" is a collection of stories and tales that have been gathered from just such occasions. So long as spirits are lifted and the tasks of the day tarry not too long in the doing, no harm is done. And, they provide a warm reflection of the "good old days." When you think of it, using humor in pleasant company to set the cares of the world aside for a moment is somewhat theraputic, as is the reading of "Good Thoughts Shared."