Sikeston native pens two books as another nears publication

SIKESTON — For Sikeston native and author Ronnie D. Senciboy, having the “it factor” is as innate as breathing.

The 73-year-old real-estate-agent-turned-author has thrived with the written word since his secondary education days at Sikeston and Chaffee, Missouri.

“I liked grammar; I liked composition,” he said. “Composition was easy for me. And now, what once was an interest, a hobby, now consumes most of his time, outside of family, of course.

Senciboy, under the professional pen name Bob R. Creel, has published two novellas, “Made to Order” (2000) and “The Night Owl” (2023).

And a third is in the final stage, as “Lost not Found” is weeks from finalization.

A 1969 graduate of Chaffee High School, Senciboy has an affinity for the English discourse.

“I have been working real estate for the past 35, 37 years. I worked in Sikeston for six years. It was slow, so I decided to write a book. A mystery,” Senciboy said. “I made a lot of mistakes on it since it was my first attempt.”

Through trial and error, Senciboy found his voice.

Prose wasn’t anything new to Senciboy, as his poetry clips date back to the late ’60s.

Marketing was a tough go, but interviews, such as the one contained in this narrative, have helped push the books to a new audience.

“Made to Order” took approximately six years, from inception to publication.

“I started it in 1994, and it was 2000 before I could finish it because of the work I did,” Senciboy said. “I did real estate sales and appraisals.”

Readers can expect a handful of pages of romance in every mystery — both via novellas and novels.

“I may have five to six pages on romance per book. That’s it. My writing, it goes back to the poems I wrote in high school, so I credit Sikeston for that,” Senciboy said.

As a non-traditional student, Senciboy found his way to Southeast Missouri State University, where his primary discipline was … you guessed it … English.

Inspiration is a virtue for the Chaffee graduate, who lets it come in waves.

While inspiration can strike anywhere, at just about any time, Senciboy doesn’t have to look too far, as one commonality is evident.

“All of my books, I have family members on the outside,” he said. “I use their names on the inside. I have family in mind the whole time I am [writing] the books. That is why I self-publish, so I can have my own designs. I can put what I want to in the books. Family is important to me.”

As competition continues to heat up as the thermometer descends, Senciboy’s advice for aspiring authors centers upon marketing.

“I use social media, but word of mouth — I am a member of the writer’s guild in Cape. I talked to them and asked for some help from some of those people,” Senciboy said. “Of course, they charge for the help.”

Books may be purchased on Amazon and at Barnes & Noble, as well as www.ronsenciboyauthor.com.

“Hopefully, ‘Lost and Found’ will be on Amazon,” Senciboy said. “The other two are on Amazon. “‘The Night Owl’ is available on Barnes & Noble’s website.”

For more information, visit www.ronsenciboyauthor.com.