Practicing Zen Without a License (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781456308681)

The son of a Southern Baptist preacher from Alligator, Mississippi, Butler is, himself, an ordained minister, even though he has not preached what he practiced since the mid 20th century. He is the author of eight previous books in sixteen editions worldwide, including three British editions and a translation into Japanese. (Fifteen of the sixteen were with major publishers.) His previous publications include four novels, a collection of short fiction, two collections of poetry, and a cookbook (which is full of stories). He was born in Alligator, Mississippi, and graduated from Clinton High School in Clinton, Mississippi, in 1962. He attended Mississippi College for two years, under the illusion that he might become a Southern Baptist preacher. Instead he found himself fascinated by math, physics, and acting, and drawn ever deeper into writing.