Details about the book

72-page paperback
ISBN 1590281527
Distributed by Ingram
Available on Amazon

Some of my best reading experiences came from books for reading class in elementary school. Some of those stories have just as much power in my mind now as they did then. Stories for life. That's the experience I hope I can provide to others.

The cover photo is of my father, John Ricker, taken by his sister Shirley Shefchuk. He's about 16 here, in Middlefield, Ohio. I have held this photo dear for many years. A brilliant linguist, he taught high school English for 36 years. He's not going to understand why I put his picture on a book.

The cover design is by Tom Sumner, accomplished designer (book and album covers, probably a hundred other things), book editor, and author of Untidy: The Blogs on Rumsfeld.

The illustrations are by Kate Ramunno-Finney, recipient of the Margaret Evans Award from the Butler Institute of American Art, where she serves as a docent. She also illustrated my short story Our Mermaid.

The title Something Familiar is inspired by the song "I'm Going To Go Back There Someday," sung by Gonzo in the Muppet Movie, written by Kenny Ascher and Paul Williams. Lyrics:

This looks familiar, vaguely familiar,
Almost unreal, yet, it's too soon to feel yet.
Close to my soul, and yet so far away.
I'm going to go back there someday.

Sun rises, night falls, sometimes the sky calls.
Is that a song there, and do I belong there?
I've never been there, but I know the way.
I'm going to go back there someday.

Come and go with me, it's more fun to share,
We'll both be completely at home in midair.
We're flyin', not walkin', on featherless wings.
We can hold onto love like invisible strings.

There's not a word yet for old friends who've just met.
Part heaven, part space, or have I found my place?
You can just visit, but I plan to stay.
I'm going to go back there someday.
I'm going to go back there someday.