Michael Petracca

Michael Petracca is an American novelist, Lecturer Emeritus and former Acting Co-Director of the Writing Program at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Petracca's two novels, Doctor Syntax and Captain Zzyzx, published by Capra Press, feature Harmon Nails III as a protagonist. In Doctor Syntax (set in the Los Angeles area), Nails is a graduate student struggling to finish his dissertation. In Captain Zzyzx (set in the fictional "Fiesta City", in Southern California), Nails has rejected academia and plays in a rhythm and blues band while searching for love. To develop the characters for these books, the author draws upon history as a semi-professional poker player [1] and jazz / zydeco [2] / rhythm and blues guitarist, photographer for Skateboarder Magazine [3] and multi-divorced half-Italian half-Jewish Gaviota Buzzard Club [4] troubadour (2006). In recent years Petracca’s writing has focused on popular culture criticism [5] [6] and creative nonfiction, the latter relating volunteers’ contributions in the areas of habitat conservation [7] [8] and hospice care. Petracca is the son of Hollywood screenplay and television writer Joseph Petracca.