THE TEN SERIESThe 10 Series by L.L. Mayo

L. L. Mayo began his working life cleaning toilets, an occupation that provided an unusually clear view of human nature and a lifelong appreciation for jobs nobody notices until they’re done badly.

He grew up on Cape Cod, where salt air, shifting tides, and a boyhood pet turtle helped shape his view that life is best approached with curiosity, persistence, and a willingness to stick your neck out now and then. The turtle, by all accounts, was less enthusiastic about the last part.

Mayo later worked as a commercial artist and became the owner of A. W. Ellis Advertising in Boston, Massachusetts, where he spent years turning complicated ideas into clear messages and occasionally making the ordinary sound extraordinary. It was excellent training for writing books, although books allow considerably more room for mischief.

Along the way, he lived in Wakefield and West Dennis, Massachusetts, collecting observations about work, money, people, and the peculiar business of getting through life.

His writing blends hard-won experience, irreverent humor, and practical common sense. He does not claim to have all the answers. He has, however, spent a remarkable amount of time questioning the ones everybody else seems to accept without a second thought.