Complex sentence: Eighner began writing for publication in the early 1980s, and his first book was a collection of short stories, "Bayou Boy and Other Stories" (Gay Sunshine Press, 1985).
Split into simpler sentences: Eighner began writing for publication in the early 1980s. His first book was a collection of short stories, "Bayou Boy and Other Stories" (Gay Sunshine Press, 1985).