On the 7th, Daylight Savings Time ended at last. I no longer have to take our dog, Elsa, out to potty in the dark, after dinner, when those hard-eyed coyotes in black leather jackets are loitering on the corner, outside the pool hall, paring their claws with stilettos, giving us the eye, discussing what side dishes would go best with us.

I sold the first short story I wrote. Then I received over 75 rejections before making another sale. My first four novels were never published. Later, after I’d been selling genre fiction routinely, I wrote a mainstream novel, ALL OTHER MEN. Editors sent me enthusiastic letters about it, said they loved it, but turned it…