Watching for Mermaids, David Roper’s collection of stories and essays, was a three-time Boston Globe Bestseller. His 2017 novel Rounding the Bend…The Life and Times of Big Red follows the life and redemption of a washed-up Mississippi River pilot and Vietnam vet. His second collection of stories, Beyond Mermaids, was published in 2021. David’s non-fiction work includes Getting the Job You Want Now! (Warner Books). He is a regular columnist for Points East Magazine and been featured in Cruising World, Lakeland Boating, Sail, Sailing, Reader’s Digest, and The Wall Street Journal's National Business Employment Weekly. David was a three-time Best of Show fiction winner of the Marblehead Festival of Art Writers’ World. His writing has been published in eighteen languages. He recently co-wrote the screenplay for Rounding the Bend, after it was optioned for a film.
David is an avid Maine cruiser aboard his Independence 31 sloop. His youthful occupations included captaining a 135’ Mississippi River sternwheel cruise ship, operating a boat delivery business, and managing an excursion/whale watch company. Many of his stories have come from these experiences.
Since 1982 he has run A-Script, a career advisory and resume writing firm in Marblehead, MA.