InkAndGravel

Steve, 40, central Kentucky. I write for a living, which means almost all of my words leave through a keyboard. I bought my first fountain pen this spring expecting a novelty and ended up with a habit, and now I look for excuses to put ink on paper. That is what brought me here.

Married, one son; we homeschool him. I am Cubmaster for our local Cub Scout pack and stay busy at our church where I am a deacon. Fiction in the leftover hours, thrillers mostly.

I mail on time or early, I read swap instructions all the way through, and I would rather over-deliver on a small swap than coast on a big one. If something goes wrong on my end, you will hear from me before the deadline, not after. If you don't receive something from me, please let me know, and I will fix it immediately.

What I love to receive

• Actual letters. Long ones. I would rather read three pages of your week than get a perfect envelope with two sentences inside.

• Handwriting of any quality. Mine is bad and improving.

• Book recommendations, especially thrillers, mysteries, and nonfiction about the Cold War, nuclear topics, aviation, and space.

• Ink samples and paper samples. I am new enough that everything is interesting.

• Postcards of ordinary places. Your gas station, your street, your view. I am less interested in landmarks than in where people actually are.

• Anything with a story attached to it. Tell me why you picked it.

Things I would write to you about:

• Daily life

• Working in communications

• What fifteen eight-year-olds have taught me about boredom

• The genuine comedy of interstate shipping regulations

• What a few years of answering furious customer emails has taught me about people.

Please do not send:

• Anything requiring a craft skill in return that I do not have yet. I can write, address, and assemble. I cannot yet do lettering, watercolor, or fancy paper art.

• Glitter. My wife has asked me to be clear about this.

I swap domestically and internationally. I do not smoke. I have a dog.