John Richard Gerlach grew up in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. He joined the U.S. Air Force, earned a B.A. degree in Italian Literature at UT Austin, and enjoyed a successful career as a Data Analyst. He retired in 2025 and lives in Florida. He came to fiction unexpectedly, initially as a creative exercise, writing a short story that evolved into a spy novel.
John always enjoyed the creative process, having written over forty professional papers during his IT career, including three award-winning papers, which he presented at major conferences. His papers addressed atypical topics and difficult problems, explaining algorithms for solving The Knight’s Tour in 3-dimensional chess (using 8 boards) and generating homeomorphic irreducible trees, a problem made famous by the blackboard scene in the movie Good Will Hunting. His desire to solve difficult problems prompted years of writing both complex programs and technical papers.
John is a proud American of German / Italian descent. He was raised in the Italian tradition, greatly influenced by his maternal grandfather, Giuseppe Antonio Picucci who emigrated from Italy in the 1920’s. His grandfather taught John how to play the Italian mandolin, an instrument he still plays entirely by ear. He inherited his love for Italy, its culture and history. He is an avid student of the Italian Renaissance and currently studies the Divine Comedy — all fourteen thousand lines — in Italian. He speaks Italian, some Mandarin Chinese and Portuguese. He studies classical piano with an ambition of composing a symphony.
Like most people, John’s life has not been without adversity — much of it from people who should have been supportive. Nonetheless, he has learned to forgive, albeit parting ways in search of healthier relationships, and always keeping the faith. His perseverance of the human spirit runs straight through his debut novel.
About John Richard Gerlach
Why I Wrote Parting Ways
Parting Ways began simply as an exercise in creative writing — no plot, not even a title. Then, prompted by the political and social climate in America, an idea took hold, and the book became an obsession — not only for its story, but for its characters, who suffer daily due to societal issues, including racism, homophobia, and especially narcissism.
My purpose in writing the novel is to confront what I believe has become an epidemic — Social Narcissism. The protagonist of the novel, Nathan Bauer, and his lesbian colleague Leslie, suffer untoward hardship caused by the antagonist, Vicktoria, whose vindictive nature knows no bounds. Nonetheless, despite her despicable acts, it is the perseverance of the human spirit that prevails.
My hope is that a reader — especially someone in an abusive relationship, especially with a malignant narcissist, will recognize the cruel dynamics and find the courage to part waysin search of healthy, loving relationships.
— John Richard Gerlach
A note from John
When I wrote Parting Ways, I hoped that a reader caught in a toxic relationship would find the courage to remove the shackles of abuse, then seek healthy relationships and pursue a life worth living, one that exudes authentic love and real faith.
In my view, no one should ever be controlled or denigrated, made to feel small. Everyone deserves to live as their authentic self. If my novel helps even one person recognize toxic dynamics and part ways to choose a better path in life, I have accomplished my goal.
Remember: Despite all the travails of life, never lose the ability to love and to be loved.
— John Richard Gerlach