If mainstream novels set in the 1970s aren’t your bag, let me suggest a handful of books written by actual friends of mine.

First off, Dan Kuester and I worked together at CMF&Z back in the summer of ’99. His novel, Green Wave, is an international thriller about murder and intrigue in the biofuels industry, and one of a small handful of books whose main character is a rugby referee. <https://www.amazon.com/Green-Wave-Dan-Kuester/dp/1683480279/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1471268905&sr=1-1&keywords=green+wave>

Actress, writer, and kid-wrangler Jenny Moyer’s debut novel, Flashfall, is a YA sci-fi fantasy that comes out in November. <https://www.amazon.com/Flashfall-Jenny-Moyer/dp/1627794816/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1471269163&sr=1-1&keywords=Flashfall\>

Like me, Bill Zahren is a Des Moines-based freelance marketing copywriter. Unlike me, he writes novels about the crimefighting team of Kingman and Reed. <https://www.amazon.com/Officer-Involved-Kingman-Novel-Novels-ebook/dp/B017TJV59Y/ref=la_B016E3ZYMK_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1471269355&sr=1-1#nav-subnav>

Dave Stuck and Mark Marturello teamed up to write and illustrate Amazon Pajamas, a beautiful and charming bedtime story. This one is out of print but possibly available through used booksellers. <https://www.amazon.com/Amazon-Pajamas-Dave-Stuck/dp/1467501530>

And finally, Jim Fisher was my advisor at Wabash College and the person who helped me become the first theater minor in the school’s history (and in the words of Ira Gershwin, they can’t take that away from me). He knows his stuff, so if you like in-depth writing about playwrights and actors, check out his work. <https://www.amazon.com/Theater-Kushner-Studies-Modern-Drama/dp/0415942713/ref=sr_1_9?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1471269832&sr=1-9&keywords=James+Fisher>