Kelly, Clint 1950-

views updated

KELLY, Clint 1950-

PERSONAL: Born March 12, 1950, in Portland, OR; son of Clinton Russell and Rita Belle (Willhite) Kelly; married Cheryll Doreen Inman (a tax accountant), September 11, 1971; children: Stephanie, Shane, Amy Holowaty, Nathan. Education: Clatsop Community College, A.S. (forest technology), 1969. Politics: Republican. Religion: Protestant. Hobbies and other interests: Humor, cryptozoology (the study of mystery animals), public speaking.

ADDRESSES: Home—504 51st St. SW, Everett, WA 98203. Offıce—Seattle Pacific University, 3307 Third Ave. W, Seattle, WA 98119. Agent—Steve Laube, Literary Group, 270 Lafayette St., Ste. 1505, New York, NY 10012. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER: Seattle Pacific University, Seattle, WA, communications specialist, 1988—. Writing instructor for Discover U and for writer's conferences; codirector of Seattle Pacific University Christian Writers Weekend; Presbyterian elder and teacher.

MEMBER: Writers Information Network, International Society of Cryptozoology, Fellowship of Merry Christians, American Christian Writers.

AWARDS, HONORS: Faculty Member of the Year, Florida Christian Writers Conference, 2000; Christy Award finalist (international historical category), 2000.

WRITINGS:

fiction

The Landing Place ("Reg Danson Adventure" series), Thomas Nelson (Nashville, TN), 1993.

The Lost Kingdom ("Reg Danson Adventure" series), Thomas Nelson (Nashville, TN), 1994.

The Aryan ("Reg Danson Adventure" series), Thomas Nelson (Nashville, TN), 1995.

Deliver Us from Evil ("In the Shadow of the Mountain" series), Bethany House (Minneapolis, MN), 1998.

The Power and the Glory ("In the Shadow of the Mountain" series), Bethany House (Minneapolis, MN), 1999.

Escape Underground (juvenile novel), Bethany House (Minneapolis, MN), 2001.

Also author of the picture book Bruce the Spruce and the Christmas Goose.

nonfiction

The Fame Game: How You, Too, Can Become the Greatest, Performance Press (Everett, WA), 1984.

(With Cliff Bottemiller) The Everett Cartoon and Trivia Book, Performance Press (Everett, WA), 1985.

(With John H. Hampsch) The Key to Inner Peace, Performance Press (Everett, WA), 1985.

Me Parent, You Kid! Taming the Family Zoo, Honor Books (Tulsa, OK), 1993.

How to Win Grins and Influence Little People, Honor Books (Tulsa, OK), 1996.

Dare to Raise Exceptional Children: Give Your Kids a Sense of Purpose, a Sense of Adventure, and a Sense of Humor, Albury Press (Tulsa, OK), 2001.

Contributor to anthologies, including The Walker Within, Lyons Press (New York, NY), 2000. Contributor to periodicals, including American History Illustrated, Catholic Digest, Child Life, Christianity Today, Family Circle, HomeLife, Mothering, New Man, Reader's Digest, Writer, and Writer's Digest.

WORK IN PROGRESS: Ongoing research in cryptozoology, most particularly Bigfoot, in hopes of writing a fictional account.

SIDELIGHTS: Clint Kelly is an author whose fiction and nonfiction are inspired by his religious faith. Among his novels for young adult readers is The Lost Kingdom, the story of adventurer Reg Danson and his son as they go in search of a mysterious creature roaming the African rainforest. Kelly told CA: "The idea of 'ordinary heroes' has long fascinated me. I consider parents to be ordinary heroes and so I have written books for parents. These are parent-to-parent breakfast conversations in which we look together at the pain and the triumph of raising a family. There is an exchange of ideas and we leave feeling better and less alone in our impossible task. The task is still there, but the urge to panic has passed.

"In fiction, too, I have sought out the flawed and the heroic in characters who bleed and grow weary and despair of making the world better than they found it. And always the adventure element, that life itself even when difficult is a wonderful gift of adventure from an adventurous God. And always hope. My books all end on a note of hope to say we have not been left to our own devices, but are fearfully and wonderfully made for a higher purpose. To explore that in my books is the greatest privilege.

"I have written of the Armenian people, people of the Book, descendants of Noah the Patriarch, who during World War I were hounded by the Turks and made the scapegoats for government shortcomings. Nearly 1.5 million Armenians were slaughtered in the first genocide of the twentieth century. They are heroes for what they endured and for how they have persisted. Though they came close to annihilation, they live on. I have tried in my stories to give them the voice they were once denied.

"I've written of persecuted Christian children of the first century, of the very real possibility of dragons having once roamed the Earth, and of the continuing dangers of neo-Nazism. I am fascinated by unsolved mysteries and often send my characters in quest of answers. The search for Noah's Ark was the subject of my first novel; Bigfoot is likely to walk tall in a novel to come.

"Nothing, of course, is more mysterious than the human condition and to explore that will consume authors, myself included, for as long as we are given to write.

"In a recent national survey, [television talk show host] Oprah Winfrey was named the most influential woman in America. With all due respect, I must disagree. My mother, a winsome storyteller, was among the most influential women I know. Rita Kelly showed me the great pleasure in producing movies of the mind, heart, and soul. Her original 'Beetle Boy' and 'Buzz Buzz' stories were like honey to a bee. I am so glad she saw me published before she went home to the Great Storyteller.

"Another influential woman is my wife, Cheryll. She does my taxes and helps me resolve plot problems whenever I paint myself into a corner. She accepts me and appreciates me no matter how many editors may reject me. She is my sweet oasis.

"My first adult piece was published in Mothering magazine in the summer of 1979. It taught me that nay-sayers are a dime a dozen. Because I would not limit myself by conventional advice, I have been published in women's publications, children's periodicals, and major national magazines, and have written on topics I once knew little about, including rats, blood, and space exploration. I even sold installments of a comic strip I invented, despite the fact that I cannot draw! Lesson learned: Never take too narrow a view of what you can do. Be fresh, creative, and open to the possibilities and stand amazed at where the chips fall.

"Following this advice has led me to teaching opportunities and I have enjoyed conducting writing workshops coast to coast. Today I codirect the Seattle Pacific University Christian Writers Renewal and enjoy the give-and-take that makes any good writer's conference. My first children's picture book, Bruce the Spruce and the Christmas Goose, is a work commissioned by a local Christian conference and retreat center for sale in their holiday gift shops. It is a good life and one made so much the richer by the wonder of stories and the making of books."

Kelly offered CA his advice to aspiring writers: "First, remember that the editor is your partner, not your enemy. Second, never burn your bridges with an editor as the publishing world is a tight community and you will meet again. Third, think of writing as a giant smorgasbord of opportunity and do not too narrowly define the type of writing you can do. Fourth, challenge yourself each year to pick a new market or genre and give it a try. We receive not because we ask not. Fifth, write for magazines as well as pursue books; each feeds off the other. Sixth, say thank you and say it often. Gratitude begets gratitude, thank you, God."