KINGSTON — Outdoor writer and elementary principal Lane Walker had no idea what to expect when he launched a collection of hunting books during the fall of 2012. Walker has worked the past 15 years in public schools, first as a teacher and the past four years as an elementary principal. He has also been a freelance outdoor writer, publishing over 200 articles for “Woods-n-Water” and other various magazines and newspapers.
This proved to be a perfect combination for an author launching a new collection of hunting books.
“When we released our first book in the collection, “The Legend of the Ghost Buck, I thought kids would love it. I just wasn’”t sure how fast it would catch on. I wanted to write a book that kids couldn’t put down, a book that would inspire them to read more and call their hearts to the outdoors.”
He added, “We ordered 200 books and within two days had to order another 1,000. That’s when I knew we were onto something big.”
From that point, Hometown Hunters continued to grow. Walker traveled the state promoting his book. He released The Hunt for Scarface (formerly Scarface’s Secret) in the spring of 2013 and Terror on Deadwood Lake (formerly Bear-ly Alive!) the following fall.
“I couldn’t do any of this without the support of my fans. I love to hear how kids and adults enjoy the books. The support has been awesome! It seems like our fan base is growing and each show keeps getting bigger and bigger for Hometown Hunters,” Walker said.
Besides the two title changes, early fans will also notice a slight change with the original three books. Walker self-published the first three books and has since signed with a publishing company. When he signed with a publisher, the book covers were changed from their original images. The book content is the same; just the cover art was changed.
“Last August, I signed a 10-book contract with Evergreen Press in Alabama. We sold a lot of books on our own, but needed help promoting the books on a national level. Evergreen is helping us do that. My goal is to have kids all around the world reading Hometown Hunters books,” Walker said.
This fall is going to be huge for Lane and his book collection. The premiere release of book #4 and #5 will take place in September at the Woods-n-Water Weekend in Imlay City. This will be the first place fans can get their hands on the next two books in the collection.
“I can’t wait for the Woods-N-Water show! It’s going to be huge releasing two books and I am expecting a ton of fans. We are going to do some giveaways and sign books the entire weekend. I premiered The Legend of the Ghost Buck there two years ago, it’s only fitting to release the next two books there as well,” Walker said.
Walker is sure fans won’t be disappointed in the next installment of his books.
Book #4 is titled The Boss on Redemption Road and takes place in the mountains of Colorado. A video game addicted city kid named Hunter is forced to move from his home in Denver after his dad loses his job at a factory. The family moves four hours north, to a small mountain town called Pine Bluff. During Hunter’s first day in his new house, he hears a powerful bull elk bugle on the mountain behind his house. The sound amazes and intrigues the young boy. But not everything in his new town is great however; a bully named Max and a widowed farmer nicknamed Crazy Kate await the new kid. Hunter embarks on a special adventure that will take him into the mountains after a monstrous bull elk named Boss.
Walker is excited about both books, but book #5 has a special connection for the author. This is the first book that has a girl as the main character, something close to Walker’s heart. He is a father of three girls and spends a lot of time in the outdoors with his daughters.
“Book #5 is exciting. One of the most asked questions I get at schools and hunting shows is from girls. They want to know, when a girl is going to be the main character. I am proud to introduce The Day it Rained Ducks to all our fans. Even though a girl is the main character, boys will love the story as well,” Walker said.
The Day it Rained Ducks takes place in Thumb of Michigan, in the fictional town of Lainey, which is located on the shores of Lake Huron. Blair Thomas and her family love the outdoors. During the fall of her seventh grade year, Blair finally gets to go duck hunting with her dad off the shores of Edmond Island. The small island is about four miles off the shores of the Lake Huron and is known for its awesome duck hunting. The pair set out early on a Saturday morning to make it to the island before the sun rises. There is an epic storm brewing over Lake Huron. The storm collects power and is raging right towards the pair as they hunt. The high wind and rain bring a ton of ducks, but it also brings extreme danger.
The books are available locally at The Red Zone and Barden’s in Kingston, Scott’s Quick Stop in Marlette, Wild John’s in Cass City, Gambles and Caro Packing, The Corner Truck Stop in Bad Axe, Countryview Bulk Foods in Sandusky, Jay’s Sporting Goods in Clare and Gaylord and Frank’s Great Outdoors in Linwood. Anyone not in the area can order books from his website at www.hometown-hunters.com The books will not be available in Amazon and Barnes and Noble until November.