Gary Kelley writer

Playing mountain man at 11 degrees

2012-02-27T12:44:00.003-08:00

I spent the last four days playing mountain man at the Horse Ridge rendezvous in eastern Oregon. It snowed, and blew but it was good to be out in the sagebrush country again. That's me shooting my black powder buffalo gun on the rifle trail. In between wind gusts that about blew me over, I was able to hit a few of the targets.

I made some new friends and sold some books. Grandparents at these events like to get a copy of The Youngest Mountain Man for their grand kids. I think of Jacob, in my book, when I'm in this kind of high desert country. But Jacob's story is in the summer and the weather would have been warmer.

The Youngest Mountain Man is a best seller

2012-02-01T08:03:00.001-08:00

Imagine this. The Youngest Mountain Man is the NUMBER ONE best seller in the publisher's 3rd quarter eBook sales. I'm curious as to who is buying it out there, but I'm grateful as well. I hope Jacob is finding his way into some fourth and fifth grade classes in the nation's schools. I've been thinking about a sequel to the Youngest Mountain Man as I work on finishing some other stories I've been working on. I like Jacob and look forward to following him on more out west fur trade period adventures.

New Reviews for Skunk Catcher

2012-01-13T09:26:00.000-08:00

A good story with good characters, December 19, 2011 (click anywhere to read the rest)

This Kid Reviews Books -

This review is for: Skunk Catcher (Paperback)

Kevin wasn't "the sharpest tool in the shed," in fact he really hated being in school. He would rather be outside. His mom barely listens to him, and he knew she hates his grandpa but he didn't know why. He also knew his dad was somewhere in Alaska. Kevin decided to see if he could trap animals (and then he would let them go) after reading about trapping. He babysits for his neighbors to raise money to buy the trap but he hid it from his mother. Once he had the trap, he was able to catch and release a bunch of different animals. Kevin heard that there was a rabid skunk roaming around his neighborhood and there was a reward offered if someone captured it. If Kevin could get the reward money, he could buy a plane ticket to go see his father in Alaska...but it wasn't that simple.

Skunk Catcher is the second young-person's book Gary Kelley wrote (the Youngest Mountain Man was the first). This book was very funny, and yet very serious (rabid skunk -serious, Kevin hiding his babysitting money in a smelly sock -funny). There was a lot of details in the story that helped me understand about Kevin and how he feels. Kevin is a good character and I really wanted things to work out for him. There was some adventure in the story but not as much as in Mr. Kelley's first book and I wish there was a little more of that in this book. The story plot was really good and it kept me interested in Kevin's life.

Mr. Kelley is a retired middle school teacher. You can tell Mr. Kelley is a former teacher because his books are packed with a lot of educational information that is really interesting to me. "Skunk Catcher" has earned a spot on my bookshelf on the "to be read again section."

Rain, and more rain

2011-11-22T08:25:00.001-08:00

Good old Oregon sunshine pouring down today. Steady rhythm of the rain on the roof is a constant reminder of why this is a good day to write.

I'm stuck on a scene for The Tea Cup Treasure, so I'm cleaning the office and working on the outline for CloudCat which I used to call just "the cat". I did a search for the title, "Cat" and found way too many books with that title so I searched around for something less prevalent. I wanted to use "Mist Cat" but, again, there were a lot of titles that sounded like that. So I decided to name the town in the novel Cloud, which led to the title CloudCat. That may not work as the manuscript gets finished. Sometimes, for marketing reasons, the publisher may change the title before publication anyway. Nothing is for sure. Got to get it finished and see how it turns out.

Ya Gotta Try This!!

2011-11-18T20:23:00.000-08:00

When I was in Arkansas on my last book tour I was treated to the best bar-b-cued ribs ever. The secret was this rub I just got a source for. It's called "Spirit of the woods rib rub" by Ozark Mountain Seasonings. rcoleman47@yahoo.com

Randy Coleman is the chef behind the recipe. It's "a unique rib rub with ingredients the Choctaw Indians of the Ozark region used for centuries to enhance their food. . . It has an earthy, unique flavor."

Contact Randy at rcoleman47@yahoo.com and give it a try. $9.00 It's also available on Ebay. Look for Ozark Mountain Seasonings. It's a little spicy, so a little goes a long way.

# 4 on the publisiher's best seller list.

2011-11-18T10:32:00.000-08:00

I just noticed that The Youngest Mountain Man is number 4 on the publisher's best seller list. How about that? Another interesting fact is that 67% of the sales are for eBooks. I imagine more readers are going for eBooks because they're less expensive. At any rate, I'm encouraged that readers are discovering my books. I know it'll be a slow process, and I'm always surprised then I get good news like this.

One of the hard parts of writing is wondering if a story will be appreciated by readers once it's finished. That's a lot of time, sometimes years, to dedicate to a project purely on speculation. If I didn't love writing anyway I'd probably give up if I didn't have hope that someone out there would like the stories.

2011-11-17T20:50:00.000-08:00

I got an email asking how to buy my books so I did some checking. (click anywhere to see the rest)

Old Line Publishing
Youngest Mountain Man $9.95 + $5.95 shipping
Skunk Catcher $11.95 + $5.95 shipping
Amazon.com
Youngest Mountain Man $9.95+$3.99 shipping
Skunk Catcher $10.16 + $4.98 shipping
Barnes & Nobel
Youngest Mountain Man $9.15 + $3.99 shipping
Skunk Catcher $10.76 + $4.98 shipping
Ebooks are $4.95 from all the above.

Autographed copies from the author
Youngest Mountain Man $10.00 free shipping
Skunk Catcher $11.00 free shipping
Note- if you order from me at the address below be sure to say who the book is to be autographed to.
Gary Kelley writer
17485 SW Pheasant Lane
Beaverton, OR 97006

If you order from Amazon, or Barnes & Nobel please write a review of the book after you've read it and send it to them. Every review helps readers pick books in their interest area.

The North Jetty at Garibaldi, Oregon

2011-11-17T16:56:00.000-08:00

In my new book, The Tea Cup Treasure, the north jetty at Garibaldi plays an important part in the story. This is what it looks like in real life. Since my book is fiction, I'm taking some liberties in describing it, but basically it's a pile of rocks that extends high enough that even the highest tide can't cross it, and it goes down into the water until it hits the sand/gravel bottom anywhere from 30 feet to deeper, depending on the tide. (Click anywhere to see more)
The underwater jetty is home to barnacles, several kinds of crabs, rock fish, kelp greenling, and ling cod, with the occasional flounder, skate, and sand dab making an entrance. I've never seen a shark while diving the jetty as they prefer more open water.
That yellow thing in the picture is a crab pot float, used to mark pots, and prove ownership. They often are washed up on the jetty when a storm tears one loose.

Struggling Today

2011-11-17T11:39:00.000-08:00

Foggy, rainy, I'm in the office struggling to get through a difficult scene. I'm having to take it sentence by sentence to make it work. Sometimes the writing just flows, and I can barely keep up with what the characters are doing. I'm having to work at it today because characters' emotions are high and I want to get just the right feeling across. Writing action is a lot easier for me.

On a happy note, I was cleaning my work shelf yesterday and came across a long forgotten typed (on an old royal portable typewriter) manuscript of a boy's adventure story I'd all but forgotten. Maybe I'll dust it off and scan it in to Word so I can clean it up and submit it. It's always fun to discover new/old things when I clean the office.

SPARKS IN A LOVE SCENE, this is cool

2011-11-10T16:53:00.000-08:00

I've never written a love scene in one of my books before, mostly because they haven't been YA but this story calls for one. The cool thing is, there are actually sparks in this love scene. There's a storm brewing on the ocean, which parallels the storm between the hero and his girl because he was insensitive and didn't understand her actions for good on his behalf. He's jealous because of something she did and he judges her wrongly. Hurt feelings, misery, betrayal, and finally realization of the truth all build up to an apology. That's when the sparks begin, literally.

There's a phenomenon called bioluminesence in some ocean waters, at certain times of the year, which makes the water actually glow. I first saw it on a night dive in Washington. I dropped my light and all of a sudden I noticed little winking blue lights all over the bottom. I found the light and turned it back on and saw that the little lights were barnacles on the rocks, fanning their legs to scoop in plankton for food. When they did that, they disturbed the plankton which glowed for a few seconds. It was cool. Like looking at blinking stars. Then I noticed that when I kicked my fins a roil of lighted water swirled out behind me. Even cooler. I've seen phosphorescence several times since then and it's always amazing, especially when you're on the beach at night and the foam on top of the waves is glowing. I just had to use it in my love scene.

DISASTER! Lost Chapter

2011-11-10T10:02:00.000-08:00

I hate this! AAAARRRRRGGGGHHHHHH!! I finished a perfectly good chapter of The Tea Cup Treasure yesterday, and thought I'd saved it, but today when I started to pick up where I left off, I can't find it anywhere. It was good too. I'm not sure if I can duplicate it from memory. At best, it'll take a lot of time I wanted to use for forwarding the story today. I get all excited about following the characters in a scene and my fingers just fly over the keys. I never look at the keyboard. And occasionally I get so ahead of myself that I hit a wrong key and whoooooosh. There goes the screen, or I lose something, or I start deleting letters instead of adding them. Oh, well. Sigh. Back to the drawing board, as it were.

Tea Cup Treasure, it's more than a mystery.

2011-11-10T08:57:00.000-08:00

One of the fun things about writing the Tea Cup Treasure is that it's more than a different kind of treasure diving story. Because it is set on the Oregon coast, there are some things I feel compelled to include to give my readers a "sense" of how this northwest coast is different from other coasts. for example, you don't just run down to the beach and jump in the water in your bikini. You'd freeze to death in about 5 minutes if you were submerged. There are "sleeper waves" you have to watch out for. Every now and then a larger wave comes in, and if you're wading, or out on rocks in a tide pool, you could be swept out to sea in a moment. Then, if someone warns you about "rip currents" it's worth your life to listen. Since my main character, Todd, is an aspiring marine scientist, he knows that all that water washing up on the beach has to go somewhere. It gathers, and runs back out to sea all in one spot. If you get in one you can't swim against it to get back to shore. The only way to survive is to swim parallel to shore until you are out of the "rip" then you can make it to safety. Visitors die every year at the coast by getting trapped on rocks, falling off cliffs, or being rolled over by floating logs in the surf. I'm hoping that, aside from telling an interesting story here, I can educate any newcomers enough that they can enjoy the rugged beauty of the Oregon coast in safety.

The Tea Cup Treasure progresses

2011-11-10T08:34:00.000-08:00

I'm cranking along on the Tea Cup Treasure. I've been sick for a week with coughing and a stuffy nose, but all the while I was thinking about the characters. Now that I feel better I had a really good day yesterday, and finished up to chapter 5.

There's an unusual tree, on the Oregon coast, called The Octopus Tree, because of its resemblance to an upside down octopus. It suddenly dawned on me that it could play a part in the story. Legend has it that the coastal Indians used to bend down the limbs of young trees, like this, to force them to grow in the shape of a hand. Then, when a chief was buried, he was placed in a cedar canoe and it was placed in the cradle formed by the living tree.

Research @ the Tillamook Museum

2011-11-03T10:51:00.001-07:00

This is the old museum in Tillamook, Oregon. It's a great place to learn about the history of the coast, like my character, Todd Massey does in the story. It's full of fun stuff like the first school teacher was a man who lived in a big hollow tree. That thing under the tin roof behind the sign is a "donkey engine". It was a steam engine strong enough to pull itself around in the woods to haul huge logs out of the forest with steel cables. Inside the museum are old pictures of sailing ship days on the coast. One of those pictures provides Todd with a clue to the treasure he seeks. (click anywhere to read more)

Notice how green everything looks in the picture? That's because it rains so much in Oregon, especially in the winter months. That gray sky is typical for the north coast where the cold ocean water meeting warmer air creates lots of fog and mist. Oregonians celebrate when the sun comes out.

Researching the Treasure Diving story

2011-11-03T10:36:00.000-07:00

I'm working on my treasure diving novel now. It's set in Garibaldi, Oregon north of Tillamook on the coast. Crab boats like these are important to the story so I went over and talked to come captains about their boats and how the equipment was used. This is a picture of the moorage at Garibaldi. I've dived under docks like this which gave me an idea for one scene in the story. I'm trying hard to get all the details right, because beside being an exciting treasure diving adventure many of the details about the Oregon coast are factual, in case someone wants to visit some time.

Research in Ozark National Forest

2011-10-31T20:22:00.000-07:00

While I was in Arkansas, I had a chance to get out in the pines and oaks of the Ozark National Forest. This country is different from the tall Douglas Fir forests of Oregon, my home state. I sat for a while on a rocky bluff and listened to fox squirrels dropping acorns down through the leaves to the forest floor. Then something dropped on my arm. It was a five-inch-long walking stick insect. There were a lot of them up in the oak trees eating leaves. I saw dozens once I learned to spot them. They look just like a stick that's walking slowly. This was good research for my book about a boy who is growing up on the Illinois river not far from here. This is the kind of woods he knew, but he lived on the river and loved to catch big catfish.

Gary Kelley, author, does Arkansas Book Tour

2011-10-31T15:49:00.000-07:00

I just got back from a two-week trip to Arkansas to visit schools and tell students about mountain men, and my new books.

It's been really dry in the south, like Arkansas and Texas, and a lot of the trees were brown and some were dead. Usually, when I go south this time of year, the trees are all kinds of colors, but not this time.

I don't like flying very much. It's a necessity sometimes, but it's hard for me to sit that still for that long a period of time. I took advantage of the forced inactivity this time to read three Louis L'Amour westerns I got at a used book store. He's one of my favorite western authors, and I read his work for research as well as entertainment. I like the way he says things.

At the Alma, Arkansas middle school I got to tell about my new book, Skunk Catcher, and show the students some furs from animals that live in town, but are rarely seen.

Book Review for The Youngest Mountain Man, by Erik

2011-10-30T22:40:00.000-07:00

The Youngest Mountain Man

20 Oct

The Youngest Mountain Man

By Gary Kelley (Click anywhere to see the whole article)

92 Pages – Ages 9+

Published in 2010 by Old Line Publishing

All in one horrible day, Jacob Thompson’s parents were killed and scalped and his little sister, Hannah, was kidnapped by the Blackfeet Indians. Jacob was rescued by 2 Mountain Men, Prophet and Four Toes Wallace. The Mountain Men took Jacob in and Jacob started to learn their ways. He learned how to hunt, shoot a buffalo gun, set traps for animals (for their fur), survive a grizzly attack and to trade with the Indians. He got his nickname “Long Shot” from a Shoshoni Indian who admired how accurately he could shoot. Prophet and Four Toes took Jacob to a rendezvous where men and Indians traded goods and tell tales. They heard stories of a little white girl with curly hair seen with Blackfeet Indians. Hannah must be alive and it was up to them to rescue her! It was time for Jacob to show he was a real “Mountain Man” and rescue his sister from the Indians.

I really enjoyed this book. This helped me learn about Oregon when setters were first there. I learned things like when rawhide is wet it is stretchy and when it dries it is really hard to break, how the settlers traded with the Indians, and how the Indians lived. The book was super thrilling, exciting, amazing, and a challenge to put down! There was a little bit of violence (nothing too graphic, but some disturbing subjects like scalping) so it wouldn’t be good for kids younger than 9. I recommend it to people who like historical fiction or adventure books. I liked how Mr. Kelley put in his foreword recommendations on how to read the book and how the characters sounded. It really helped the story become “real” to me. There is also a helpful glossary in the back of the book for words and phrases that the reader may not be familiar with. At 92 pages, the book was a very quick read but the story was told well. The only thing I wasn’t really fond of was the cover art on the book. It was interesting but I think I could have been better.

Mr. Kelley is a retired middle school teacher. You can learn more about him and his other book “Skunk Catcher” at his website by clicking HERE . There is also loads of information about living and surviving during settler’s times in the “end notes for The Youngest Mountain Man” page on his blog.

I give “The Youngest Mountain Man” 5 out of 5 book worms for a well told story!

SHOWDOWN AT BUZZARD GULCH SCHOOL by Gary Kelley

2011-10-13T10:57:00.001-07:00

I'm backing myself into a corner here. The finished book may look completely different than my vision of it now, but making a dummy cover helps me concentrate on finishing the story. Sometimes if I jump into a project, even before I'm ready, I force myself to get to work and eventually it becomes fun and I really pick up steam.

At first I was going to call this, Showdown at Dry Gulch, but that didn't let readers know that it was about school kids, and Dry Gulch is an over worked term, so I kept thinking until I came up with this. Buzzard Gulch sounded a little more interesting, and by adding school to the title kids will know it's about a little western school.

(click anywhere to read more)

To make it more interesting, I'm setting the story in a gold town in eastern Oregon. I've been to some of these ghost owns, like the one in the picture, and I can just imagine this story happening there.

This story has several themes. There are the bratty boys who run off the first lady school teacher. There is the retired gunslinger/gambler who gets the teacher's job. There is the little girl who is interested in archeology, even when her parents don't understand the word. There's the abused boy who comes to school bruised most Monday mornings. And there's the fueding brother of an old enemy of the gunslinger who has vowed to "kill him on sight".

That's just scratching the surface. I gotta get to work!

BUZZARD GULCH SCHOOL research

2011-10-13T10:36:00.000-07:00

Now that the dust has settled and Skunk Catcher is being promoted, I'm turning my energy to finishing one of my next books, in this case it's Showdown at Buzzard Gulch School, a historical western. It's been fun researching about one-room schools, ghost towns, gold strikes, and the old west when this story takes place. Imagine the school teacher (school marm) getting up early to light the fire in the wood stove before the classes arrive. All grades were in one room with maybe a total of 10 to 20 kids depending on the weather and harvest time. Older boys skipped school in the fall to help on the farms and ranches. An education was a luxury that most parents wanted for their kids so it was important to keep a teacher, even if some of the boys tried their best to run her off. That's where this story begins.

Youngest Mountain Man reviewed by Old Schoolhouse magazine

2011-10-12T20:57:00.001-07:00

The Youngest Mountain Man (click to read the whole review)

As a longtime lover of historical fiction--especially anything remotely related to wagon trains, the Oregon Trail, and life in the West--I eagerly picked up The Youngest Mountain Man. Unlike most of the fiction I read as an adolescent, though, this one is geared toward the masculine mind instead of the feminine, the more adventurous mind instead of the more idealistic. The story starts off with a bang as young Jacob Thompson's family gets attacked by Indians while they are traveling in their covered wagon. Although his parents are killed and his younger sister is taken, the boy manages to escape thanks to the cunning aid of two mountain men, Prophet and Four-Toes Wallace.

Jacob, later known as Long Shot Thompson, learns how to survive in the wilderness thanks to the instruction and prowess of Prophet and Four-Toes. Over time he learns to aim and shoot, to trap and trade, to track animals and forage for food, and even how to parley with Indians in order to locate and retrieve his little sister. Along the journey, Jacob does quite a lot of maturing and is rewarded with respect and love. While the crusty mountain men who took him on as their apprentice seem rough and callous, as time goes on it is obvious that Jacob has softened them.

In the Foreword, the author explains how he wants the reader to interpret the mountain men's jargon and even describes what their voices ought to sound like, both of which will have you chuffing right along with the ill-used English spoken by the mountain men and Indians. The descriptions throughout the book are vivid, detailed, and occasionally graphic, allowing young readers to feel immersed in the story and to vicariously experience the thrilling adventures. The author also explains that while the story itself is fiction, much of the information included is real and accurate, gathered from his own experiences and studies about rustic frontier mountain life. Throughout the story, there are many unfamiliar words and terms, but instead of skipping over those words, the author encourages the reader to refer to the Glossary included in the back of the book. This gives further insight into the era and lives of the mountain men.

As the mother of two little boys, I think this is going to be a fun book to keep handy on the bookshelf. I'm envisioning lots of reenacting, questions leading to fun discussions, cooking of jerky, and crafting of our own skunk-skin caps. This book is a well-priced, well-bound paperback with short chapters and large type. It is perfect for reading aloud to a group as well as for individual reading. While it would appeal to a vast range of ages of both boys and girls, it does seem like the ideal audience would be adolescent boys, ages 9 to 15. So when your sons or students are ready for some adventure, let them see how Long Shot Thompson deals with being chased by a bear, knocked over by the kick of a rifle, threatened by various mountain men, and faced with the prospect of being scalped!

Product review by Melissa Cummings, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC, July 2011

SKUNK CATCHER an urban nature adventure

2011-10-11T14:06:00.000-07:00

Skunk Catcher has arrived in hard copy. It's always a little scary and fun when the first box of books arrives from the publisher. Here they are. Skunk catcher is a reality. As soon as I opened the box I sat down and read a book from cover to cover. I like this story. I like the suspense, the action, and the surprises. I hope my new readers will too.

Working on The Tea Cup Treasure

2011-10-02T13:45:00.000-07:00

Working on The Tea Cup Treasure. I like this story because it takes place on the Oregon coast, one of my favorite places. Those boats in the background are like one that's featured in the story. It's a crab boat, kinda like the ones on The Most Dangerous Catch, but smaller, and with less gear. These boats lay crab pots out in the bay, usually not more than two dozen at a time, and they're hauled up by a crew of only two or three. The crabs enter the side of the pot, it's actually a stainless steel wire mesh trap, through a door with little wires hang down and let the crab in, but they keep it from getting out. Only the big male Dungeness Crabs can be kept. All the rest get thrown back to grow up for next year. Beside hauling up crabs, a boat like this can also be used for hauling up a treasure, if you find one under the water.

http://thiskidreviewsbooks.com/ Check this out!

2011-10-01T07:20:00.000-07:00

Ya gotta check this out. My young friend Erik reviews books and has a blog.
http://thiskidreviewsbooks.com/ Click to see the whole story
Check out his blog to see what he's reading, and get a preview of some good books.
He also sells these neat T shirts that you can be proud to wear so when people ask you what you're reading you can tell them. And they'll know you're a reader. I gotta get me one of these.

THE CAT, Coming soon to a bookstore near you, as soon as I get it finished.

2011-10-01T07:11:00.000-07:00

I've been stewing about this for years, and I woke up this morning, refreshed, with the whole outline for the book in my head. It's still dark outside, but I hurried up and walked/ran to the office to get the ideas down before I lost them. I want to write a nature thriller called, The Cat. It's about a small town in Oregon that is terrorized by something eating pets. People begin to suspect that it's a cougar but the local sheriff doesn't believe. Things get worse when a big cougar is seen on the playground of the school. Then when a grandma has to beat it off her pet dog there's no doubt, they have a problem, and it won't go away. The sheriff doesn't want to deal with it, but when a little girl is killed, and eaten, he has no choice. Warnings are posted in store fronts telling what to do if the cougar is seen. A biologist gives the sheriff a crash course in cougar behavior. And the sheriff is finally forced to enlist the aid of an old retired hunter who used to hunt cougars. The hunter has no use for the sheriff but finally agrees to help the town. From there on it's a chase to see if the cougar, now used to humans, will continue its killing spree, or if the old hunter can use his wilderness skills to stop The Cat.

I can't wait to get on this, but I have three books almost finished that I need to work on first. Sigh.

Notes on Skunk Catcher

2011-09-30T13:06:00.000-07:00

I was thinking about how to describe Skunk Catcher as I walked in the park this morning. I'd call it a middle grade realistic fiction novel. It's the kind of story that could happen. It's not wizardry, or fantasy, or cliff-hanger scary. It's partly a story about the hidden world of nocturnal urban wildlife that lives in cities, but which no one ever sees. Part of the conflict arises when Kevin, the hero, identifies where wildlife have been on his school playground, but the teacher ridicules his discovery in her best "teacher knows best" put down. Kevin isn't good in school, but he's struggling to find his place and be accepted, but it's hard when he's bigger than the other sixth graders, awkward, and a slow reader.
But that's only part of the story. Kevin lives with his mom, who hates his dad (off in Alaska somewhere). She also hates his grandpa who teaches him the ways of the woods. Why? There's also a big mystery about where his dad is, and why he doesn't write. Kevin has one friend, a soccer jock named Rhett, who likes Kevin just the way he is. Not so with Susan, a girl in his group at school who never messes a chance to ridicule him.
It's a story about a boy finding himself, overcoming the odds, and proving his manhood in a dangerous situation. Yes, he tangles with a skunk. Yes, it has rabies. If you want to know what its like to be blasted by a skunk read Skunk Catcher.

The Youngest Mountain Man Is Reviewed in Old Schoolhouse Magazine

2011-09-30T12:09:00.000-07:00

Product review by Melissa Cummings, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC, July 2011

Thanks to Mari for permission to include this in my blog. Gary

Mari Almon
Director of Advertising Sales
The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC
404-630-3141

Skunk Catcher, a boy's urban wilderness adventure

2011-09-29T21:39:00.000-07:00

Skunk Catcher is about sixth grade, wildlife, living with Mom, missing his dad, and a dangerous rabid skunk. In the story, Kevin Barton uses a "live trap" like the one pictured here to catch and release animals that live in the woods and storm drains in his neighborhood in a suburb of Portland, Oregon. Though he isn't good in school, Kevin knows more than any of the other kids about Oregon wildlife. When a rabid skunk endangers the kids at school Kevin is the only one who knows how to catch it. But would it be worth the cost?

Skunk Catcher is now available from the publisher, Old Line Publishing, Amazon, and the usual book outlets.

Teacher Friendly Middle Grade Novel by Gary Kelley

2011-09-29T14:21:00.000-07:00

Skunk Catcher, my latest middle grade boys' fiction book can be used as a springboard for a letter writing unit in fifth or sixth grade. In this nature/adventure story Kevin Barton's teacher requires that each student write a business letter to request free information from a business. Kevin writes a sporting goods company and receives a catalog of outdoor gear, including live traps. And the adventure begins.
With this as an introduction, teachers can launch their own letter writing units. I plan on linking to some good teacher-generated letter writing units on my web site.

Skunk Catcher Is Now A Reality

2011-09-16T09:20:00.000-07:00

     This is what Skunk Catcher will look like when published this month. I tried to upload all the different cover art we went through to end up with this one, but most of the files wouldn't load to my blog. Maybe I can figure it out and add them later.
   You can read about Skunk Catcher on the publisher's web site- Old Line Publishing, New Releases. It's the story of Kevin Barton, an awkward sixth grader in Beaverton, Oregon who has trouble in school, doesn't "fit in" and lives with his single mom who hates his grandpa and won't talk about his dad who's in Alaska somewhere. The only thing Kevin is good at is nature and the outdoors. He loves identifying wildlife by their tracks and sign. He's good at it and he knows more about wildlife than any of the other kids in school, though his teacher won't admit it. She only harps at him for his poor handwriting and slow reading. But, because of a school writing project, Kevin gets a live trap and begins to use his skill to catch neighborhood critters like cats, possums, and raccoons. He likes observing them before he releases them back into the woods around his apartment. Then a rabid skunk threatens the neighborhood and Kevin may be the answer to the problem. In the end he learns about his dad in Alaska, and makes a decision.
     It'll be available on my writer's web site, from the publisher, and on Amazon and Barnes & Nobel, and as ebooks.
     I enjoyed writing this one. I hope the readers enjoy Kevin's struggles and successes as well.
     Now on to The Tea Cup Treasure, a northwest diving adventure set on the Oregon coast.

Getting Closer to the Skunk Catcher

2011-09-08T14:56:00.000-07:00

Skunk Catcher is in the final stages. The publisher tells me we're down to making final decisions concerning the front and back cover art. It's amazing how many possibilities there are, and how many things there are to consider when choosing a design. Since we couldn't get a skunk to pose for a picture we're having to put some art together that lets the reader know what the book is about, and is attractive enough that someone would pick it up. I can't wait to see what we finally end up with.

Good News

2011-08-26T10:46:00.000-07:00

I got an email from my publisher, Old Line Publishing, with an attachment of the file for Skunk Catcher as it's being finalized for publication. I went through it and suggested a few corrections and now begins the process of final polishing and publication. Not sure what the cover art will look like yet, and the back page is being put together, but soon Skunk Catcher will be a reality, available from Old Line, Amazon, Barnes & Nobel, and the usual book sellers.

Persistant Ideas

2011-08-14T06:23:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I couldn't get an idea out of my head so I finally had to get to the office and write it down in a file. Todd Massey, the main character in one of my next books, The China Cup Treasure, wants to be a marine biologist. One of his hobbies is keeping a salt water aquarium in his living room. It's a big one. He lives on the Oregon coast and the specimens he keeps in the aquarium require cold ocean water so he put an old refrigerator in the garage with a big plastic garbage can inside and piped cold water through the wall into the aquarium. He stocks the tank with creatures he brings up from his SCUBA dives, including a baby octopus. I hadn't planned on it, but I think the aquarium or it's contents may play an important part in the story. We'll see.

The Nehalem River Rendezvous

2011-08-08T21:32:00.000-07:00

I spent last weekend at the Nehalem River Rendezvous near Vernonia, Oregon. It was held in a big valley surrounded with Douglas Fir forest. Lots of friendly mountain folk there. This is the council fire on Friday night. It's a custom to gather for stories, announcements, and naming pilgrims (giving camp names to buckskinners, like Sure Shot, No Powder, Flying Skillet. Camp names are like handles for CB radio operators.) One friend of mine always forgot to bring the right size patches for loading the round balls we shoot. He ended up being named No Patches, and he'll have that name until he messes up and gets a new name. Names usually have to do with an accident, an event, or a personal trait like Stumpy, for a person who has a bad foot.

You can't see it very well in this photo, but one of the neatest things about a primitive rendezvous is that the camps can't contain anything newer than 1840. No plastic, wrist watches, and no gas lanterns. As a result all the primitive camps use candle lanterns at night. It's amazing how much light a candle gives when that's all there is. Looking across the valley at all the candle lanterns glowing with their soft yellow lights it was easy to imagine how life must have been back in the 1800's. I often write in my journal by candle light when I'm camping. It helps me get in to mood for writing notes for mountain man stories.

The awarding of blanket prizes signals the end of the rendezvous. Here all the shooters gather to see who shot the best scores. Each person who shoots donates a prize they would be proud to win off the blanket. Then the first place shooters with the highest scores get to pick first off the blankets. Prizes might include wooden boxes for all your shooting gear, hand-made clothing, hats, powder horns, lead for making bullets and such. The great thing is, no matter how poorly you shot that day, or if you're a beginner, you still win a prize with some left over to use at the next rendezvous. Everyone is a winner. You can't beat that.
The sad part is breaking camp and saying goodby to friends until next time. It was relaxing to enjoy a few days back in time.

Book Review News

2011-07-22T19:50:00.000-07:00

I recently received a surprise email from Melissa Cummings, a book reviewer who is writing a review of The Youngest Mountain Man for The Old Schoolhouse Magazine. Her message was a pleasant surprise so I'm including some of it here. I look forward to seeing the review once it comes out.

NOTE-Click on the text to see the entire story.

Hello Mr. Kelley,

I recently had the privilege of reading The Youngest Mountain Man in order to review it for The Old Schoolhouse Magazine. As the mother of two young boys, I especially enjoyed reading some historical fiction geared toward the masculine mind (they'll enjoy this book when they get a bit older). I have always loved historical fiction (primarily things revolving around wagon trains, in fact), but generally girl-oriented. So this was a particularly fun read for me, and I enjoyed your style. And I think the glossary you included is a wonderful touch!

Thank you so much,

Melissa Cummings

High Mountain Rendezvous

2011-07-19T16:55:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I attended the Barlow Trail rendezvous on Oregon's Mt. Hood. It was fun talking to other mountain men and visitors, shooting my muzzle loader, bow and arrows, and throwing the knife and hawk. I brought some books along, and was happy to autograph the ones people bought. It rained the whole weekend, but we toughed it out, pioneer style, and stayed close to the big fire. It was like stepping back in time. We could still see ruts of the original Barlow Trail the pioneers used to get down Mt. Hood.

I just got word from my publisher that my book, The Youngest Mountain Man is one of the Top Five Best Sellers on their list for 2011. Cool :)

High Times at the Flying M rendezvous

2011-05-31T09:01:00.000-07:00

I spent the Memorial Day weekend at a mountain man rendezvous in Oregon's Coast Range mountains, near the famous Flying M ranch. I got to shoot my buffalo gun, throw my hawk and knife, and see a lot of friends who were getting soaked from the constant rain and drizzle usual for that part of Oregon this time of year. It's always good to get out in the wilderness. I come home with a lot of fresh ideas to write about.

Pioneer Day @ Rock Creek School

2011-05-23T08:23:00.000-07:00

The fourth grades at Rock Creek Elementary in Beaverton, Oregon had a pioneer day May 20th. It was a perfect sunny day with students dressed in Oregon trail costumes. I was "the mountain man" one of several stations where students could get hands-on experience in pioneer skills like milking a cow, making candles, making corn husk dolls, home-made icecream, and playing pioneer games.

Lunch was beef stew, and cornbread. Here's my mountain man wooden bowl and cow-horn spoon.

Yes, that's Bessie the cow where students got to learn how pioneer kids got their milk for breakfast.

Some of the students had read my book, The Youngest Mountain Man, and I had fun answering questions and showing them artifacts from Fur Trade Era. I started a little fire with flint and steel, and students got to pet some furs, like beaver, skunk, coyote, mink, muskrat, and fox.
I enjoyed getting to share with the Rock Creek teachers, parents, and students. "Shinin' Times"

Gray Daze

2011-04-13T12:52:00.000-07:00

This is one of those times writers hate. It's gray, cloudy, and rainy, and I'm on the downside. Can't focus on writing so I think I'll clean the office. It sure needs it. This would be a good time to do some research, and take notes. At least I can fill in the blanks on some of the information I need to finish The Noah's Ark Hoax. Last summer, since The Hoax takes place in Turkey, I intended to get to downtown Portland and sample some of the Turkish quisine I've heard about at a street vender's booth, but I didn't make it. I wanted to talk Turkish with him and be able to describe the food. Maybe next time.

The trouble with cleaning is, you have to have a place to put stuff. My office is so full, I just end up moving the piles around and making them look neater, but it's all still there and I didn't really make much progress. Oh well, at least I went through the motions of cleaning. I think I'll go plant some garden seeds in the greenhouse. Grubbing in the potting soil is good for the soul I suppose. It's relaxing planting seeds because no matter what else goes wrong, you water them and God works his special magic and little plants come peeking through the soil. Makes you feel like you were successful when you really had little to do with it.

Skunk Catcher will be published

2011-04-12T08:24:00.000-07:00

I just got good news that, after months of waiting, Skunk Catcher has been accepted for publication @ Old Line Publishing. We've got to work out the contract and get the illustrations ironed out and probably do some more editing, but they said we were looking at an August publication date. Cool if it works out. Usually there's always something that clogs up the works, but it's a start.

Meanwhile, with the spring weather here, I'm doing some magazine articles on outdoor survival skills, and primitive fishing. Should be fun if I can catch a sunny day to get out. :)

Mountain Man @ The Washington County Museum

2011-03-12T15:07:00.000-08:00

Today I got to give a mountain man presentation at Oregon's Washington County Museum. It was fun to talk to parents and kids about the fur trade and the way mountain men lived. The museum loaned me a beautiful wolf skin to display with my own furs. I knew Joe Meek was a mountain man who settled in the Willamette valley of Oregon after the beaver trade dwindled, but I didn't know he was the first sherrif in Oregon, or that he build the log jail that now sits, restored, on the campus where the museum is located. That's why history is fun. You never stop learning.

I'm Now Official

2011-02-28T13:51:00.000-08:00

I'm now the mountain man presenter for the Washington County Museum at the Portland Community College campus. In addition to my school author's visits, and mountain man demonstrations, I'll now be available to visit schools who request my presentations through the Oregon Historical Society.

It's raining today, after a few days of sub-freezing weather and snow. I'm alternating between writing and making a mountain man sheath for a big "butcher," a mountain man's big knife. It'll have brass tacks, some buffalo fur, beads, and an abalone shell concho. It'll be part of my costume for school presentations. I'll post a picture when I get it finished.

The Teasel and Me

2011-02-22T15:34:00.000-08:00

This is a teasel I'm drawing for the margin of Skunk Catcher. Teasel is a thistle-like weed that grows in mountainous country. Some say pioneers used the dried heads as combs for their hair. It would be prickly. I'm finishing up some skunk, raccoon, and possum tracks for the margins. Slow, tedious, boring job, but rewarding in the end. Just gotta hang in there.
It's snowing, hailing, and raining in between sun breaks today. Nice to be in a warm dry office.:)

Ta Dah! Skunk Catcher is Done!

2011-02-20T21:01:00.000-08:00

I just emailed Skunk Catcher to my publisher. It's a submission, but maybe they'll like it and we can go from here. I'm in a vacuum now. Time to clean around the house and let the brain settle before starting on the final draft of The Noah's Ark Hoax, my next one. Been doing research and writing character sketches so I'm almost ready. Got to get the time line nailed down so the outline will be easier, then I'm anxious to get that first draft down and begin the process all over again. It'll be fun. This is the first one I've done that had much to do with another culture, in this case, Turkish. I'll share a little about the plot in later blogs. Right now I'm just letting it stew in my brain to work out the kinks. I'll know when it's time to write. I don't know how, but my subconscious just knows and I get the urge to go exercise my fingers at the keyboard. Wish me luck. :)

Getting Close

2011-02-09T22:08:00.000-08:00

For the last few days I've been polishing the final draft of Skunk Catcher. It's about a city boy who loves learning about the wild animals that live in his neighborhood. He's living with his grouchy single-mom, having trouble in school, and missing his dad who's in Alaska somewhere. A school project introduces him to live traps and he determines to get one to catch and release the local raccoons and possums. Then he encounters a skunk.

I decided to add a glossary to the end so I've been gathering troublesome words for it. Getting close to sending a query to the publisher. Wish me luck. :)

Sharing With the Oregon City Cub Scouts

2011-01-31T21:48:00.000-08:00

This week I got to spend a fun evening with the Cub Scouts of Tiger Den in Oregon City, Oregon's Pack 470. We learned about the fur trappers, and their tools and implements, and had a lively show and tell. They were surprised to learn that there are still beaver trappers in Oregon, like in the old days. Scott Swalwell, on the left, invited me for this visit. He's a modern-day computer programmer who also has an interest in the past, and Oregon's history. In this picture I'm showing the scouts what an old-time blacksmith-made steel trap looked like and how the mountain men tried to out-fox the beavers to catch them.

Wow! How time does fly!

2010-12-03T11:21:00.000-08:00

Here it's December and I haven't been at the keyboard to blog in weeks. Weather's been good, here in Oregon, so I've been working outside. Now the winter rains have set in and I'm staying close to the fireplace and catching up on my writing.

Good news! Both Amazon (Kindle) and Barnes & Noble (Nookbook) have The Youngest Mountain Man available in e-book for for just $4.95.

On the writing scene, I have too many irons in the fire. I'm flitting back and forth between the sequel to The Youngest Mountain Man, and a couple of new books that are almost ready. I'll keep you posted.

Nehalem River Rendezvous

2010-08-08T19:52:00.000-07:00

So here's the ol' mountain man standing at a trader's tent at the Nehalem River Rendezvous in the mountains of Oregon's Coast Range. The traders sell about anything you'd need to live the 1840's style, from shirts and hats to knives, hawks, and guns. I always look forward to seeing old friends and practicing my mountain man skills. But these trips aren't just for recreation. As I sit around the fires and swap yarns with other "mountain men" I'm always listening for events and tidbits I might be able to use in a book. I never know where the next idea might come from. In between other projects I'm working on the sequel to The Youngest Mountain Man and I've got the outline pretty well worked out. I have to finish Skunk Catcher first, but it'll be fun to really get serious about the sequel. There's just never enough time. :) Maybe I'll get to it this winter whens the rains start.

Quick Trip

2010-08-05T20:15:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I took a break and jeeped up into the mountains to try out a little out-of-the-way trout stream. It was relaxing to be out away from civilization for a few hours. It's been hot, and the stream was lower than the last time I was there, but there were some deep holes where native cutthroat trout were hanging out. You usually get only one chance at a wild trout. The first time your fly hits the surface of a pool it'll get smacked. If you're not ready, subsequent casts are almost always fruitless. That is, unless you count all the little smolts that bedevil you. They'll shoot up from the bottom and nail a fly, but their little mouths aren't big enough to get hooked, so they just peck at the feathers until you cast again. It's fun playing with them. Best fish of the trip was a thirteen-inch native cutthroat. Now back to work. :(

Alas, The Writer's Other Life

2010-08-02T20:42:00.000-07:00

Being a writer of children's books is exciting, glamorous, and you get lots of money. NOT! In between writing chores I get to do whatever it is that needs doing around the house. In this case, I needed a new roof but couldn't afford to hire it done. So, here's the famous writer turned roofer. It was in the mid nineties when this photo was taken. That is, it was in the nineties in the shade at ground level. Up on the roof it must have been over a hundred. Oh well, we got it done, and no one got hurt. Adventures like this just make me glad for the times I'm able to sit at my keyboard in an air-conditioned office part of the time.

I'm in the final editing of Skunk Catcher. I'm still finding mistakes to fix, and confusing sentences to rewrite. Thanks to some of my proofreaders, who are finding the rough spots, I'm able to make corrections so the story flows more smoothly, and is easier to read. Then there are all the things I want to change, now that I've read them again. I have trouble with this. Sometimes it's hard to stop rewriting. Eventually I'll just have to stop and send it to the publisher, but not yet. I'll instinctively know when it's as ready as I can get it.

I'm going to the Nehalem River Rendezvous this coming weekend. I'll blog more when I get back.

2010-07-19T21:17:00.000-07:00

I spent last weekend at the Barlow Trail Rendezvous on Oregon's Mt. Hood. This is what a primitive camp looks like when you're living like a mountain man for a few days. These wrought iron things in front of me are "fire irons". That's where we cook over a fire. The black pot is a Dutch oven. You put it on the fire and cover the top with coals to bake anything you want, including huckleberry pie. Yum!

One of the events I enjoy is the tomahawk throw. You have to make the hawk turn once in the air before it sticks in the target. If you're lucky it will stick in the red part. That's called hitting "color" and it's worth more points. Not far from this spot you can still see the wagon ruts from where the Oregon Trail passed over the mountains here.

There are events for kids at rendezvous (ron dee voo) also. Here a grandma is watching as a pee wee shooter takes his turn to hit the target with a small muzzle loader. There are prizes for every shooter at the end of the weekend.

When the mountain men shoot their big plains rifles it gets pretty noisy. That's why protective ear plugs are required by everyone nearby. The reason it looks like the gun is shooting down, is that when the black powder exploded, sending the ball out of the barrel, the gun "kicked" back a little just as the photo was taken. Targets are made of thick steel that ring when you hit one.

Another thing I like to do at a rendezvous is teaching pee wee's archery. This boy is learning to shoot a vine maple bow. It takes a little practice to get it right, but it's fun when you get it figured out.

Nothing could be finer than sharing a dinner of roast corn, and venison stew with an old friend around the fire. If you wander around the camps you might see all kinds of old time foods like flat bread, roast raccoon, elk chile, or even green apple pie. :)

Now that I'm home I'm back to the keyboard. I got a cover photo for an upcoming book taken while I was in the mountains, and now I'm anxious to hear from my editor to find out how my next book is coming. I'll keep you posted. This one is called "Skunk Catcher".

I'm Back

2010-07-11T15:02:00.000-07:00

It seems like a long time since I've had time to blog. Here it is July already. It's HOT here in Oregon, finally. I've got the garden replanted after the wet spring. Now I'm settling in to my summer writing schedule. That means I'm writing the first half of the day before the sun hits the side of the house where my office is. The afternoons heat up so much I can't stand it at the computer so I do other things.

I have finished the almost final draft of Skunk Catcher. I say almost, because I keep scanning it and finding things I want to change. I have to stop sometime, because if I carry this too far I'll end up over doing it and messing up a good thing. I guess every book could be rewritten forever. A writer just has to know when to say "Enough".

Now I'm working on the last chapter of Ararat Obsession, the story about the boy and his dad who climb Mt. Ararat, in Turkey, searching for Noah's ark. It's fun getting to research the Turkish culture, and learn a little of the language.

I probably won't blog again for a while. I've got a mountain man rendezvous coming up this weekend, and I really want to get a lot of writing done this summer, but I'll blog when I can. :)

Back To The Routine

2010-06-28T16:44:00.000-07:00

So it's Monday after the home school convention. Got the mountain man stuff put away and tried to get caught up in the garden. Tomatoes needed tying up. Green beans needed weeding, and as usual there was more than I could do. I took a break about noon and settled down at the computer to work on Ararat. A few posts ago I was whining about a plot snag, (couldn't figure out who would have sent a warning not to climb) but one morning it just came to me. Everything fell into place and I was off writing at full speed again. funny how the subconscious mind works. If you think about a problem the last thing before going to sleep, often you'll wake up with the answer because your subconscious has been working it out all night. Spooky how often this happens to me.

I've got Ararat drafted all but one chapter and I know what's going to happen there. Just need to do a bit more research to get it right. Then I'll start rewriting and editing. Can't wait. This one is going fast. Can't believe it, actually, but I'll ride the wave. I'm sure there's some down time ahead somewhere after this high.

A writer friend recently suggested that I get to work on a sequel to The Youngest Mountain Man, and I think she's right. I noticed a lot of book series at the convention. I can see how it would be more comfortable for a reader to pick up a book where they already knew at least some of the characters. I think it should be easier to write for the same reason. I already have an outline. Just need to get a few other irons out of the fire first. :)

OCEANetwork Homeschool Conference Day 2

2010-06-26T19:54:00.000-07:00

Here's a picture of the old mountain man behind his table.

Day 2 of the OCEANetwork Conference turned out to be a really good day for me. It was my first home school conference and I have to say that I was impressed, especially with the behavior of the children. "Please, thank you, may I, yes sir," those are words you don't hear that often from kids, but these kids were a joy to be around. I was not interrupted ONE time as I talked to parents about books and the reading likes of their kids. I made a bunch of new friends in the 4th through 6th grade age. I brought my flint and steel and we had fun making sparks. It's a wonder we didn't catch the red blanket on fire, but it's been to a lot of rendezvous and has seen it's share of sparks already. A lot of the kids enjoyed petting my raccoon, fox, and beaver furs.

This is my new friend Jacob and his little brother looking at my powder horn. I was explaining how the mountain men loaded their black powder rifles. At the end of the day Jacob volunteered to help me haul all the furs and stuff down to the car. Thanks Jacob!

I think one of the neatest things I saw was the children who were dressed alike. I don't know if the parents did it to keep track of their kids, or if they did it just for fun, but it was just enchanting to see three, or five little girls all dressed in matching dresses made of the same fabric. It was like Little House On The Prairie. I'm sorry things were happening so fast I couldn't get names but if anyone sees this and knows who these sweet girls are please email me. I also saw several sets of boys who had matching shirts. It was cool.

At the end of the day my feet were tired from standing on cement two days in moccassins (I had to stay in character for my mountain man display) but I was excited to have made so many new young friends, and I want to get back to writing as soon as I can get unpacked. I'm going to a rendezvous in a few weeks and need to be able to find everything for that so I'd better put it all back in the right places. I sold a bunch of books, and maybe soon I'll be hearing from some of my new readers as they finish the book.

OCEANetwork Conference, Portland Oregon

2010-06-25T19:48:00.000-07:00

At the Oceanetwork home school conference in Portland talking to new friends. It was a hassle getting to the convention center with road construction and Friday morning traffic, but I left early and made it on time. Met some wonderful parents and kids. Sold some books, and made some valuable connections with other writers, especially Susan Marlow, and her husband Roger. Susan writes horse books for girls. I like her style. She's a good teacher as well because she gave me some good tips as a writer. Thanks Susan!

You can find her at http://www.circlecadventures.com/.

Ta Da!! Writer 1, Chickens 0

2010-06-20T07:27:00.000-07:00

I finally figured out the mystery of how the chickens were getting out. There was a hole under one of the fence boards that was hidden by a comfry bush. Now that I've fixed it the chickens haven't been out any more. I hope that was the only place they could get under.

Today I'm writing the climbing part of the Ararat story. It's slow going because it's technical and I want to get it right. I'm dealing with stuff like crampons, prusics, and a fall into a cravasse in the glacier. I'll just try to stick with it and crawl my way through. It's like I'm a spectator on the mountain. I can see it all happening. I just have to write it all down. Fortunately it's cloudy and rainy so there's not much else to do. I'll just settle in and write until I need a stretch break.

I'm At It Again

2010-06-19T12:21:00.000-07:00

I didn't mean to, and I didn't want to, but something happened and I got another book idea a few days ago and just had to go after it. I've got three chapters done, so far, and could get it roughed out in a week or two. It's about a boy whose dad is a writer who gets excited about climbing Mt. Ararat in Turkey and finding out if any of the stories of Noah's ark sightings could be true. It's mostly a climbing story, as the boy and his dad train in the Goat Rocks Wilderness Area, in Washington, and on Mt. Hood, in Oregon, to be ready for the assault on Mt. Ararat. It's going quickly because I already know about climbing. I'm having to do research on what Turkey is like, how to get there, and what Mt. Ararat is like, but the story is pretty much figured out. There are a few questions I can't answer yet, but maybe I'll get the answers.

As I was writing the first chapter I added a paragraph about his dad getting a strange warning email in Turkish. Sounded interesting at the time, but I can't figure out who could have sent it, and why they'd want to warn him not to climb the mountain. If I can't find answers I'll have to take it out. Back to the keyboard.

Writer zero, Chickens One

2010-06-14T16:32:00.000-07:00

So it's a sunny afternoon. I just had to get outside and enjoy it. I suited up and checked my bee hives. The bee ladies are happily storing up blackberry honey. Looks like they'll have some to share with me. Thanks ladies.

Arrrrrrgh! Then I see a chicken running around in the garden. They're still getting out. I can't figure out how, but I caught this one, it's always the same one, and put her back in the pen. I checked for places she could get out, and didn't find any. Just can't figure it out. I told her I'm getting hungrier for chicken soup, but she didn't seem worried.

Writer vs. Chickens, chickens are winning

2010-06-14T13:36:00.000-07:00

I wrote a little on Good Morning Mr. Hennessy this morning, then I drove to downtown Portland, Oregon to do some scouting for a convention I'm displaying at in a couple of weeks. It's the 16th annual OCEANetwork conference June 25-26. I'll have a booth and will be autographing books, and doing mountain man demonstrations (flint and steel, trap setting, etc.) for parents and kids. I wanted to check out the route, travel time, and parking. This ought to be fun. The convention center is a huge place.

When I got home I walked out to my back yard to check on the chickens and quail and got a bad surprise. There are three chickens that keep getting out of their pen and scratching in the asparagus bed. They're making a big mess, spreading compost everywhere, and making deep depressions in the soil so they can nestle down and fluff in the dirt. Unfortunately, in the process they are breaking off the tender little asparagus shoots that I collect to eat. I've rounded up these same three chickens and put them back in their pen several days now. I checked for holes in the fence. Patched a few. But they're still getting out. Ahhhh!! Smart chickens. I don't have the patience to sit out there and spy on them to see just where they're getting out, but if they don't stop I may have some chicken soup for lunch one of these days. :)

Yeah for Errol Hassell School's Oregon Trail Day

2010-06-10T16:54:00.000-07:00

I had the honor of presenting my mountain man show-and-tell at Beaverton, Oregon's Errol Hassell elementary school today. My host was Mr. Silva, and I got to talk to both fourth, and fifth graders. The fourth grade was having Oregon Trail Day, complete with covered wagons all the kids had made, and a pioneer lunch of real buffalo stew. I was impressed. This was a really knowlegeable group who had read my book and who had some excellent questions. One that I need to think about was, "When did you think of the idea for the book?" I'm not really sure about the answer. There were also several excellent questions about modern day rendezvous as well. I wish all the students could go to one some time. Imagine a place where kids, both boys and girls, could shoot a muzzleloading rifle, throw a knife and tomahawk, and cook over a wood fire with their families. I wish.

Hail on the Quail

2010-06-10T16:41:00.000-07:00

Imagine not being able to eat chicken eggs. That's what's happened to Marlene, my wife. We've discovered that she has some food allergies, among which is an allergy to chickens. So, I've started raising quail. I hatched the first batch in an incubator, takes 17 days, and now they're old enough to be laying eggs. Quail eggs are a delicacy in some restraunts. They taste just like chicken eggs, but are lots smaller. It takes 4 quail eggs to equal one chicken egg, but they sure are cute when fried. Kids like to eat them boiled because one is just about a mouthful. I got home this afternoon to check my chicks and it had hailed, and rained so much the garden was flooded again. Poor eggplant plants are drowning. At least the quail stayed dry.

Oh Sunny Day

2010-06-08T17:41:00.000-07:00

Had a clear day today. This afternoon I finished up my presentations to the fourth grade students at McKinley Elementary School, in Beaverton, Oregon. Mr. Sullivan, the librarian, had read The Youngest Mountain Man to some of the fourth graders so they knew what I was talking about when I mentioned an epishamore. In this photo I'm holding a beaver fur hat I use to demonstrate what was done with the beaver hides the mountain men caught.

Hello McKinley

2010-06-07T15:48:00.000-07:00

I visited McKinley Elementary School fourth and fifth graders in Beaverton, Oregon today. We talked about Mountain Men, the Fur Trade, and my new book, The Youngest Mountain Man. They were a great bunch of students who asked some really good questions. This was more than an author's visit. Students seemed to be more interested in modern day rendezvous than in the writing process. I don't blame them. We're all ready for summer. Camping out like mountain men sounded like fun. They really enjoyed the flint and steel fire-making demonstration. And I was glad we didn't set off the sprinklers in the library.

It's rained all week.

2010-06-04T13:55:00.000-07:00

Yeah, It's rained all week here in Oregon. Flooded my chickens, actually. And you know what that means? More writing for me. I've been jumping around from outlines, to research, to filling in text. Just got some good news. My book has been available at Amazon for $9.95 for a month or so, but now it's finally listed on Barnes and Nobel as well. They're selling it at a discount for $8.95. Cool. I have some school visits scheduled for next week and am looking forward to that. They've been reading the book so it'll be fun to see if they have any good questions. I like readers to email me, but we were having a problem with that. The blog requires you to have an email address and passwork, so the easiest way to write me is to go to my website and click on the contact box. You'll get a pop-up email window you can use. It worked the last time I tried it.

Rendezvous!!!!

2010-05-31T13:22:00.000-07:00

I just spent Memorial Day weekend with the Forest Hills Blackpowder Brigade club at their Coon Hollow Rendezvous in the mountains west of Yamhill, Oregon. Typical for Oregon, we got rained on some, but there were sun breaks where they were most needed. I got to visit with several young readers, and shared Jacob's story with them. One of the traders had my books for sale, and I autographed several. It was relaxing being in the mountains playing mountain man. Wild strawberries were just getting ripe in the meadows. What a tart, but savory treat! Shooting my muzzleloader was fun, and I even won second place in the knife and hawk throwing competition. It's always a little sad to see camp break up and everyone head for home, but now that I'm back I have some ideas I want to write about. Back to work.

The Second Edition Is Out

2010-05-08T10:37:00.000-07:00

I got a box of the second edition of The Youngest Mountain Man today. Looks much better than the first one. I like the back cover. I've been spring cleaning in my shop and office the past week. What a mess! When this is done I think I'll be more efficient and at least I can stumble my way to the computer without falling. :)
I've been pecking away at The China Cup Treasure for the past few weeks, but now I'm getting ideas for a sequel for The Youngest Mountain Man. Taking notes. fleshing out characters. Getting ready to write when the time comes. Think Oregon Trail and lost gold mines.

Second Printing

2010-04-16T19:22:00.000-07:00

Heard from my publisher that they're working on the second printing of The Youngest Mountain Man. We found a few typos we missed before, with the help of readers, and at the request of a teacher, we added my picture on the back cover. Now readers can see what the author looks like, but you can do that anyway if you visit my web site. http://www.garykelleywriter.com/. One other little change. I requested that the paper color be changed from the bright white of the first edition, to an off white which I think is a little easier on your eyes. I can't wait to see the finished version.

Wow!

2010-04-16T06:56:00.000-07:00

Did some research last night on the China Cup Treasure. It was the treasure I was interested in. It starts as a China tea cup, and gets added to as Todd is able to dive and recover more pieces. By the time he gets it all up it's worth more than I thought it would be. I searched the web for this kind of China and found some beautiful and rare pieces. Then I started adding up the prices. It knocked me off my chair. Wow! Todd sure had no idea what it was worth. I can't wait to get this story in print. Unfortunately there's a lot of work to be done yet.

Bits and Pieces

2010-04-15T13:34:00.000-07:00

We've had some gorgeous spring days here in Oregon the last week. Oregon spring days are typiclly rain showers, maybe some snow and sleet mixed with sun breaks and temps. into the 70's. If you don't like the weather, wait five minutes. I've been writing during the rainy times, and walking when there's sun. I walk to a nature park near here and back. Takes about an hour. I carry a little recorder with me and note ideas as they pop into my head while I'm walking. Then I get home and put them in files in the computer. I'm still working on The China Cup Treasure, but adding bits and pieces to Good Morning Mr. Henessey, and River Runt. It's hard for me to work on just one at a time. I wish I could. I get interested in each one as I add notes. I'm incubating some little quail eggs. They're due to hatch this coming weekend. I'll let you know how it turns out. The chicks I'm raising are growing fast. It's all I can do to keep them from flying out of their brooder. Okay, back to work for me.

It had to happen

2010-04-09T15:00:00.000-07:00

I knew this day would come sooner or later. I can't concentrate on The China Cup Treasure anymore. Did some yard work, loaded the camper on the truck for an upcoming trip. I keep thinking about Mr. Hennessey and wondering if I might be able to make some progress there. Part of the problem is that we have some sun here in Oregon today, and it's calling me to work outside. Maybe if I work hard physically I can clear my brain and be ready to hit the keyboard soon. I know there are days like this. That's why I work so hard when I'm in the groove. I heard from a teacher in Arkansas who said her class liked The Youngest Mountain Man. That's encourageing.

Research at the coast

2010-04-06T20:56:00.001-07:00

We had a break in the weather today. It stopped raining for a few hours, so I drove to the coast, about an hour from where I live, and got some photos and research I needed for The China Cup Treasure. Got some valuable info at the Tillamook County Pioneer Museum. Did a preliminary cover shot for the book. Did some exploring in the rocks along the beach, and came up with my own treasure from the ocean, a crab pot float complete with rope, barnacles, sea weed, and a surprise. I didn't know there were any crabs in that mess until we were driving home and heard one scratching underneath the car seats. We had a stowaway. Talked to an antique store owner who gave me some ideas about how to end the story. I'm still undecided about it.

"Just writtin' in the rain"

2010-04-04T18:29:00.000-07:00

It's still raining here in Oregon, and I'm still writing on The China Cup Treasure, which is what I'm now calling it. I hit a creative plateau so decided to do some organizing. There were scenes in the story that needed to be moved so I played scroll tag today trying to get everything where it needed to be. Now that I've about burned myself out for the day, I have 7 good chapters drafted, and the rest organized, which is rare for me. Usually I'm not organized at all. So now I just need to keep on keeping on filling in the blanks.

Changes and Updates

2010-04-02T16:44:00.000-07:00

Got an email from my publisher that they're not going to offer the 20% discount on my book when ordered from the publisher's web site. Sorry. Looks like the retail price is going to stay at $9.95 unless something can be done. Fortunately you can get it as an e-book for $4.95 if that helps any.

This has been one of those rainy/stormy days I really like to write. I'm deep into working the bugs out of The Tea Cup Treasure, and it's fun, but tedious. One of these days, as I get nearer the final manuscript I wish I could rent a beach house, or bed and breakfast at the coast and sit by a big picture window looking out over the beach as gigantic breakers crashed into the sand. Just me and the ocean and my writing. I think I could get a lot done. But until then I'm happy to be cozy in my office with my cup of coffee.

I'm having fun with some of the Northwest words in this story. You know, those words like Yachats, that easterners say as "yeah chats", instead of the Oregonian way of saying "yah hots." Then there's "Sequim" pronounced "Skwim". It's fun putting inside secrets in the story that kids on the west coast will get, but everyone else will be saying wrong. :)

Now back to the keyboard. I've got a whole 5 hours before bed time.

This is fun.

2010-04-01T19:11:00.000-07:00

Got in 10 hours today. The Tea Cup Treasure is coming together nicely. Now more research, to be sure my facts are right and that key scenes are believable. Fortunately I have a friend who is a dive master who can check my diving sequences. And fortunately I spent 20 years diving around Garibaldi, Oregon , where the story takes place, so it's easy to verify things. Unfortunately I'm having a problem learning about salvage rights and maritime law. Seems you can't just keep any old thing you find in the water. The county, and the state, the insurance companies, and the IRS all want a piece of the pie. I've read, on some treasure web sites, that of some of the treasures that have been discovered, the diver who brought the treasure up didn't get anything, even after being out a lot of money. But hey, this is fiction, so anything is possible. Right? I'll just have to work something out.

Now comes the hard part, filling in all the blanks, checking the grammar, and flow. Then the really hard part, spell checking (You can't trust the computer's spell checker you no, oops, know.) but when I get too bored, I can always go see how Mr. Hennessey is doing with those bratty kids in his one room school.

Wow! I'm glad there are days like this!!

2010-03-30T09:29:00.000-07:00

I'm on a roll. I guess I'm one of the worst to experience writers' highs and lows. I'm on a high today. It's gray and rainy outside and my brain started exploding with ideas this morning about 4:00 AM. I got up and started writing and can't keep up. I'm having ideas faster then I can write them down. So far I've worked on bits of three novels, and have done some research online so now I have my cup of "butter pecan coffee" I ground myself, and I'm typing as fast as my fingers can fly. Making a lot of mistakes, but who cares? I've got to get the ideas down before I lose them. Editing can be done patiently, later, when I can't think on one of my down days.

I'm deep into the Tea Cup Treasure story. I've changed the title from The China Cup, because anyone browsing a bookshelf wouldn't have a clue what the China Cup would be about, but by adding the word "treasure" it sounds enough like a treasure hunt that maybe some boy might pick it up, read the back cover, and learn enough about it to keep reading if he was interested in diving or treasure-type stories.

One thing I like about this story is that it is set in the little Oregon coast town of Garibaldi, a real place I know well. My story is fiction, so I'm changing and adding to the actual town, but it's a familiar place, and the story is flowing well.

The other thing I like about this story is the unusual kind of treasure it turns out to be. The tea cup is a clue, but who'd think that a simple tea cup could lead to a fabulous treasure? This is fun! Gotta get back to work.

Rain Rain don't go away

2010-03-29T19:30:00.000-07:00

The good thing about constant Oregon rain is that it makes typing all day with a hot cup of coffee/hot chocolate at hand a pleasure. I got Sarah out of that scrape with the rattlesnake in Good Morning Mr. Hennessey, and was able to outline more of another novel I'm working on, River Runt.
Best of all, I got a chapter finished on The Tea Cup Treasure, a story set on the Oregon coast. It's a good week. I hope I can keep up the momentum.
I got my first box of review copies of The Youngest Mountain Man, and shared with some students, teachers, and librarians. Can't wait to hear from some of my readers.
Got sidetracked on a new adventure. I'm raising quail. They're a lot cuter than little chickens, and make less noise. I think they've adopted me since they come running when I look in their cage, and peck my finger when I feed them. Great fun, little things. Everybody should have a pet something.

ORDER NOW

2010-03-03T09:47:00.000-08:00

I'm surprised! The Youngest Mountain Man, my middle grade novel about the boy raised by mountain men, is already available for pre-order discounts. If you want a good price, try this link

http://www.oldlinepublishingllc.com/index_files/OldLinePublishingNewReleases.html

You can also find it if you go to www.oldlinepublishingllc.com click on the left "new releases" link and it'll get you there.

I couldn't find it on Amazon yet, but it'll be there in a few days.

Flurry of activity here. But I've got to stay with Mr. Hennesey. I got the first chapter down. Now to deal with those troublesome boys in the classroom, and save Sarah from a rattlesnake in the next chapter.

Ready For Orders

2010-03-02T09:21:00.000-08:00

This morning Old Line Publishing let me know that The Youngest Mountain man will be available in about three weeks at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and the usual outlets. You can order directly from the Old Line website as well. I'll have a link on my website where you can purchase autographed copies.

I hope this book will find its way into middle grade libraries where boys can get their hands on it. The story, setting, and facts in the story are alligned with, and support the Social Studies curricula for 4th and 5th grade in most states. If a teacher is studying the Fur Trade Era, Westward expansion, or mountain men, this book will provide interesting background, and little known facts about wilderness survival, and the ways of the trappers.

Now, things get busy with marketing for a few days, then I'm back to the Old West and Mr. Hennessey. He's got to get those brats in the one-room school under control before they drive him nuts and wreck the whole town.

This is just too cool

2010-03-01T14:23:00.000-08:00

Got the preliminary layout of The Youngest Mountain Man today. It's just so cool to see the words as they'll look in a book, with a cover and all. Now I'm combing to find the last few typos or corrections and get it as perfect as I can before publication. I know I'll never experience this "high" of completing a first book again and I'm savoring every moment.

This is a good motivational boost as well. With my second book Skunk Catcher finished, I'm working hard on my third, River Runt, the "lost manuscript" I'm converting from mouldy pages to a workable Word document. Write on!

Rain, Rain

2010-02-26T08:08:00.001-08:00

Solid rain today. Solid writing for me. Still working on getting River Runt into a word document. This is one of those "Stick with it" days. I get bored after an hour or two, so I go exercise, rest my back, and pick it up again. I use a gel pad for wrist support so my neck and shoulders don't get so tired, but when the back cramps start it's time to do something else for a while. Making progress.

Drafting River Runt

2010-02-25T09:24:00.000-08:00

After pawing through 217 mildewy pages of River Runt I now have 41K words. Almost finished getting it into Word. Now comes the hard part. Before I start really editing I have to decide if it should be one novel, or maybe a trilogy. This will take some study.

My publisher emailed this morning saying The Youngest Mountain Man is in the "layout" stage and I should have galley's to proof in a few weeks. Exciting and scary.

Now back to the keyboard.

found Missing Manuscript

2010-02-23T21:54:00.000-08:00

It's raining again so I cleaned the garage some. Found the missing manuscript of a middle reader novel I started years ago. River Runt is the title, if you know anything about Heddon bass lures. It's the story of a 12 year-old boy (small for his age)growing up on the Illinois river in Cherokee county, Oklahoma in 1948. It's sort of a fishing Tom Sawyer story set where The Red Fern Grows. I first typed the manuscript on an old Royal portable typewriter one winter. The pages, when we found them, were mildewed and yellow. I scanned them into Windows 7 and am in the process of cleaning it up enough to do a rewrite. This is a boys' fishing adventure story complete with big bass, snakes, turtles, giant catfish, river pirates, stink bait and chiggers. If you live in Oklahoma you'll understand chiggers.

It's a Western

2010-02-20T13:42:00.000-08:00

Wow! Three days of sun is a rare treat here in Oregon. Light to work in the garden, and dark for research. I've rediscovered an old ghost town in eastern Oregon that will serve as the setting for my Good Morning Mr. Henessey. I guess I should tell anyone who reads this that it's a western, about an ex gunslinger/gambler who hangs up his guns and disappeares to start a new life in the oblivion of a small town. The local bad boys have just run off the schooo marm, and the town is desperate for a teacher. Guess who they con into becoming a school master? Then the fun begins as the bratty kids try to out bluff the savy, and very educated Mr. Henessey. His methods are unorthodox, but he wins the students' trust, then affection. Things are going well until a bad man from his past tracks him down and plans to kill him as he leaves the school. Funny thing, the story has a life of its own now. It's taking me in directions I hadn't planned. And some of the characters really have minds of their own.

2010-02-18T10:56:00.000-08:00

Doing research for Good Morning Mr. Hennessey today. Writing is fun because you get to create your own little worlds. I'm creating an old western town for this story. Today it was all research. I learned about one-room schools, guns of the times, and outhouses. Did you know the reason outhouses, (privys) had a moon cutout in the door is that in early times, when most people couldn't read, a moon (Luna) was the girls outhouse, and a star, or sun cutout was for boys. And it's true, they used corn cobs when there wasn't an old Sears catalog for paper. Now I'm drawing a map of my town, and a picture of the inside of my one-room school house. Can't wait to begin chapter writing.

On Writing 2-16-10

2010-02-17T11:19:00.000-08:00

This was one of those days. Got up, went to the computer, typed a scene for my new book Good Morning Mr. Hennessey, and then hit the wrong key and somehow managed to lose it all. Oh well, switched to creating this blog. Messed it up the first try and started over. I'm new at blogging so I hope this works. Sunny day, decided to work in the garden for a break, more writing later. At least I didn't mess up feeding the chickens.