Dr. Carl A. Flecker, Jr., Dentist and Author

By Janice Lane Palko

It’s always intriguing when you come across a person who has disparate interests such as former Steelers great Lynn Swann, who not only was an NFL standout, but was also a ballet dancer, or the late actor Omar Sharif ,who was not only a Hollywood star but also a world-class Bridge player. Dr. Carl A. Flecker, Jr., is not only a dentist but also a writer of detective/thriller fiction.

Dr. Flecker, 78, O’Hara Township, grew up in East Liberty, and is a graduate of Notre Dame University and the University of Pittsburgh school of Dental Medicine as well as the Wecht Institute of Forensic Science at Duquesne University Law School, and he doesn’t see that being a dentist as well as a writer as that unusual.

“Most people think dentistry is a left-brain dominant career, but it’s also creative. When I’m creating dentures for someone, it takes artistry to make teeth that look natural,” said Dr. Flecker, who is the father of seven children.

When he was 46, he began to think about his future, what he wanted to do with the rest of his life. He wanted something he could do in retirement. So, he had a little pow wow with himself. “I went to North Park and took a sheet of paper and divided it into two columns. On the left side I jotted down, in one or two words, 10-12 things that I loved, and then I picked out one or two that I was interested in developing. Reading was on that list; I have always been a voracious reader, and I thought why not try writing?”

Initially, he wrote a nonfiction inspirational book, and then he tried his hand at fiction, creating the character Crete Sloan, who Dr. Flecker describes as being an “international mercenary for the good guys.” Sloan is sort of a recluse who is persuaded into fighting for the underdog—finding kidnap victims, bringing justice to victims of rape and murder, and returning stolen property to its rightful owners.

Dr. Flecker said Sloan is modeled after him. “Sloan is me except I’m not a tough guy. I live a relatively Spartan life, and I also need lots of ‘alone time.’” That “alone time” has allowed Dr. Flecker to write six books thus far. All of his novels take their titles from 1950s Doo-wop songs, such as his first novel, My Special Angel.

What keeps Dr. Flecker motivated is the satisfaction he gets from the creative process and from the feedback he gets from his readers, who love his books. Writing enables him to engage his creative side, constructing characters and plots, and his analytical side doing research and revising his drafts. He works four days a week in his dental office and three days writing. He is at work on his seventh novel.

Dr. Flecker doesn’t plan on stopping anytime soon. “I have an innate drive to work. I have to have something to do. I plan to keep on writing as long as I’m mentally and physically able. I have pretty good genes in my family, so I hope that’s a long time.”

The Crete Sloan book series is available at amazon.com.