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As a career social worker, Jo Retals witnessed the extremes of human imperfection. But narrative roles, like villain or hero, trivialize this universal feature of humanity. Jo’s characters all face unclear choices guided by limited insight and motives often hidden to themselves.
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Jo views life as continuous adaptation. In his stories, characters encounter ever-changing communities, institutions and environments.
They struggle to adapt as constant change renders the entities designed to support them unreliable.
Coming in 2026
Available Now
Author
Jo Retals is author of the My Yesteryear imaginoir series and the forthcoming Suprastructure novel series about the space economy.
Jo worked in social services for two decades on three continents, earning his graduate degree in Social Sciences while stationed in Kenya. From counseling injured workers to investigating child abuse and neglect, Jo chronicled real-life stories of tragedy and renewal for his employers.
He conveys this experience and insight into his fiction, where fallible characters struggle in volatile worlds.
Jo lives with his wife in the Midwest, where he enjoys hiking urban trails and practicing Qigong on the back deck. He is an amateur chef and an aspiring 3D animator.
Lore
