Richard Compson Sater
About Richard
Richard Compson Sater retired from the U.S. Air Force after 24 years of service, attaining the rank of lieutenant colonel. He spent most of his career as a photojournalist, a veteran of both Operation Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan) and Operation Iraqi Freedom; and spent his entire career in the closet. Thirst is his second novel. His first, Rank (2016), is a romance between two male Air Force officers.
Sater earned a bachelor’s degree in creative writing from the University of Pittsburgh, a master’s in creative writing from Purdue University, and a Ph.D. in fine arts from Ohio University. He has at various times been a college professor, radio announcer, bookkeeper, bricklayer, bartender, clerk, voice actor, and window-shade salesman. A Seattle resident since 2007, he has expanded his creative efforts into screenplays and songwriting as well as fiction.
Richard Compson Sater retired from the U.S. Air Force after 24 years of service, attaining the rank of lieutenant colonel. He spent most of his career as a photojournalist, a veteran of both Operation Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan) and Operation Iraqi Freedom; and spent his entire career in the closet. Thirst is his second novel. His first, Rank (2016), is a romance between two male Air Force officers.
Sater earned a bachelor’s degree in creative writing from the University of Pittsburgh, a master’s in creative writing from Purdue University, and a Ph.D. in fine arts from Ohio University. He has at various times been a college professor, radio announcer, bookkeeper, bricklayer, bartender, clerk, voice actor, and window-shade salesman. A Seattle resident since 2007, he has expanded his creative efforts into screenplays and songwriting as well as fiction.
Some Thirsts Can't be Quenched
Thirst dives into the lives of Neil Graham, a country club bartender, and Ranger Melusky, a sexy and charming small-town auto mechanic who’s irresistible but complicated. A chance encounter leaves Neil captivated by Ranger’s rough charm, but there’s a catch—Ranger only lets his true self emerge after a few too many drinks. Neil wants something real, and he hopes Ranger might, too, despite his struggle with identity and acceptance.
When an accident with his truck forces Ranger to sober up, he decides to cut ties with his old life, including Neil, and takes a misguided plunge into marriage. Heartbroken, Neil seeks a new purpose. He quits the country club bar and concentrates on repairing the fractured relationship between his father and grandfather—two men divided by secrets and pride.
Just as Neil finds his footing, Ranger returns, ready and anxious to rekindle the flame they once shared. Now, both men must confront their fears and decide: Is the love they left behind worth the struggle? Or will the road ahead only lead to another crash?
Thirst is a powerful story of love, self-acceptance, and the winding paths that bring us back to what matters most.
Praise for Leaving Home at 83
“It’s a ‘zine! It’s a movie! It’s a sit-com! Actually, it’s an intimate glimpse into Sandra Butler’s personal journal as an 83-year-old queer Jewish feminist activist leaving her Bay Area home to live close to her daughters in the Red State of Arizona. The ensemble of characters at Desert Manor are hilarious, jaw-clenching, at times worthy of a Jack Russell Terrier head tilt. ‘Caught between not wanting to be a burden and wanting to be taken care of,’ Butler’s writing is tender, funny and unequivocally relatable.”
—Karen Lee Erlichman, LCSW is a psychotherapist, spiritual director, writer and mentor
“Butler’s irreverent account of pulling up roots and attempting to replant them in unfamiliar soil illuminates some of the inevitable truths of our old and getting older lives. She invites the reader to accompany her as she enters her new life with the unforgettable characters of Desert Manor. What was lost and what is eventually found is at the heart of her remarkable story. Reading her words is like sitting in a café with a witty and wise friend and savoring the openhearted truth-telling that comes from years of intimacy.”
—Naomi Newman, actor, director, playwright, co-founder of A Traveling Jewish Theater
“Sandra Butler is an extraordinary storyteller. Accompanying her as she leaves home to live near her daughters, I was swept into the unexpected complexity of this late-life transition, one she navigates with humor and hard-won self-awareness.”
—Terry Greenblatt, women’s peace and justice activist, Senior Advisor, Plowshares
“Sandra Butler addresses the unspoken realities of women’s lives with curiosity, intelligence, and an insistence on honoring these still concealed truths. Now, she has written Leaving Home at 83, chronicling a precipitous change in her life. With her keen intellect, her honesty and humor, she chronicles the losses, challenges, and freedoms of leaving home. Butler is a trustworthy guide, and I am grateful for her well-earned wisdom.”
—Jan Holmgren, president emerita, Mills College
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