Welcome

Welcome

Who in the world am I? Ah, that's the great puzzle.
―Lewis Carroll, author of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and other works

Errant Ruminant
. . . the official web presence for citizen Todd Warner

Welcome!

Todd and his wife Monica live on and farm a small homestead in North Carolina (USA). When not chasing errant beasties and mending fences, they both serve as real estate brokers operating throughout the Raleigh-Durham region. Additionally, Todd continues to dabble in various technical (computer) projects, all the while striving to carve out some time to write. Alas, the writing often gets short shrift as he commonly finds himself distracted by the responsibilities associated with wide-open acreage, fitful weather, and, of course, errant ruminants.*

These pages, and the Ruminations blog and newsletter, capture at least some of this activity.

—If you wish to contact Todd, please review [the details found here].

Curriculum vitae minimus

farm ~ hack ~ write ~ real estate

Meanwhile

  • Writer: (for me) writer of poetry and prose (essay, memoir, fiction); (for others) editor, freelance and for a regional literary journal
  • Farmer, Tandem Farms: we are keepers of bees, poultry, ruminants; we sometimes garden
  • Real Estate Broker, Tandem Realty: we help people buy and sell homes, farms, and land; we are affiliated with Navigate Realty, one of the most performant and respected firms in Research Triangle Park and the Carolina coast.
  • Tech Contributor: hacker, documenter, packager, and other open-source technical dabbler

Erstwhile

  • Soldier, US Army: tanker, staff sergeant, OD green, 1ea
  • Tech Drone: corporate coder, engineering manager, product manager, technical salesperson, documenter, marketer
  • Journalist/Columnist, fintech magazine: writer of a biweekly column

Orthogonal

  • Chess Enthusiast: player rated 800 to 1200; LiChesss or Chess.com
  • Outdoorman: hunter, fisher, birder, hiker, stream-explorer, rock-flipper

 

Publications & Works in Progress‡

⸺ Works in Progress

#AMSUBMITTING
—works currently seeking publication

  • "Stormbreak" (literary, flash) — ACCEPTED
  • "Gone to the Dogs" (psychological horror, short)
  • "Periphery Horror" (personal narrative, short)

Saeculum, a novel
—status: 1st draft ~50% complete(rewriting)

Premise/Logline:
With the world on the brink of collapse, a North Carolina farmer endures a terrible tragedy only to have responsibility thrust upon him in the form of a girl on the run.

Miscellaneous Works in Progress
—works currently in draft

  • Saeculum (thriller, novel)
  • "For Those Who Remain" (literary folktale, short)
  • "A Picnic in the Park" (horror, short)
  • "Cops and Robbers" (literary, short)
  • "Vulture" (literary, short, MOTHBALLED)
  • "The Five-Second Rule" (personal narrative, short, MOTHBALLED)
  • … a number of poems

⸺ Works Published (selected works)

County Lines, volumes 7, 10, 11, and 12, published 2019 to 2024
—vol 12 published Nov 27, 2023, ISBN 9798343204599 - (Bookshop), (Amazon)
—vol 11 published, Nov 18, 2023, ISBN 9798864205518 - (Amazon)
—vol 10 published, Oct 17, 2022, ISBN 9798356027246 - (Bookshop), (Amazon)
—vol 7 published, Dec 1, 2019, ISBN 9781700507600 - (Amazon)
County Lines is a well-respected literary journal published by the Carolina Piedmont Literary Guild.

  • 2024, vol 12, Cover Photo: "After the Rain"
  • 2023, vol 11, Short Fiction (drabble): "That Guy"
  • 2023, vol 11, Poem: "Amanda Takes the Stage"
  • 2023, vol 11, Poem: "Adrift"
  • 2023, vol 11, Poem: "Why and What For?"
  • 2022, vol 10, Short Memoir: "Date Night: Misadventures in Teen Romance"
  • 2019, vol 7, Poem: "Crepuscular Dreams"
  • 2019, vol 7, Poem: "That Dog"

Miscellaneous outlets

  • 2018, Mar 19: "Perfect is the Enemy of Good Enough" (essay)
  • 2018, Mar 8: "The Narcissism of Small Differences" (essay)
  • 2018, Feb 19: "Barlow's Legacy" (essay)
  • 2018, Feb 9: "Cue the Naysayers" (essay)

Ruminations, 2019 - today
—a selection of posted creative works

  • Errant Ruminant   / ˈɛɹənt ˈru mə nənt /

noun

  1. an individual who strives to break free from the flock, venturing out on their own—if even only for a moment—in search of something better, unique, more meaningful, or fulfilling
  2. a deep yet original thinker
  3. a particularly adventurous sheep, goat, cow, or deer

  • Missing from this list are the gobs of corporate work I have performed (marketing and technical writing), as well as the articles written during my stint as a columnist for a small fintech publication.

Updated August 19, 2025