Cal Gibson rode horses with his father as a boy. Now, fifty years later and a lone rural relic, his lifestyle continues in the countryside of Missouri as well as in its neighboring states, the South, and West, despite the impersonal advances of technology. He is a cowboy.Southwest Missouri¿s oak forests, native prairies, grass-covered hills, and cattle operations second only to Texas, are Cal¿s home. Here as a young man, he gains the devotion of a lovely woman, but is forced to walk away. He makes do, however painfully, throughout his remaining years. Yet, here, too, Cal has held tight to friends that last and stand with him when the going gets tough. Cal and his six lifelong companions provide a final burst of heartfelt determination and courage that unknowingly fosters revolution in a land written off as soft, spoiled, and doomed by greed.Cal¿s violent but heroic end spells out how this brave cowboy near sixty contributes more to his small community, his state, and his country during a cold December and January, than anyone could dare hope in a string of lifetimes.This intense but uplifting story tells of the heartland and its real people, their loves, tragedies, and spirit in terrible times. Cal Gibson grows to be a lone rock of decency and hope holding on in midstream as a fearful river rises. He provides the steady hand his community needs to cope with a calamity that today is all too possible.Impressed by the independence of American farmers and ranchers, the author has chronicled measured doses of their wisdom and grit in his writing. Although leaving rural Missouri repeatedly, his love of the land and family have always drawn him back and added a keener edge to his storytelling.

Michael Forester returns. The origin of the Flat Creek boys grit becomes clear in Recapturing Lisdoonvarna, the prequel to Good Fortune Sweet Journeys. This is the story of a grieving Michael finding peace and also Sean Kelly, his red-headed ancestor, whose tenacity during the Civil War earned him the beautiful and isolated land Michael today claims as his own. Michaels early forbearer is a poor but honorable young Irishman, who in 1859 escapes conflict and injustice in Ireland only to find flourishing evil on the streets of New York City. Sean then joins the Union Army as a horse soldier and serves under General Sheridan. In 1866 he musters out of his cavalry regiment in Saint Louis and journeys through the wild forests of the Missouri Ozarks intent on delivering a fallen soldiers effects to his family. His travels become a lonely mans odyssey to gain acceptance and love. Along the way several women seek his trust, and lay open their hearts. Seans political and religious tolerance shines in stark contrast to the hatred so prevalent during the times. The Irishman also plays an extraordinary fiddle, and his joyful tunes are a tonic for all who listen. Modern while at the same time compellingly nostalgic, two stories from different centuries pleasingly join to propel the readers quest for justice, love, and decency to a higher level.

Saint Francis in the Garden, the third book of the Michael Forester series, brings full circle the Flat Creek boys gift that has in the past provided both insight and despair. Religious intolerance and corporate greed in the heartland provide the catalyst. His possession of the sight influences his protection of a virtually unknown couple in need, while his kindly nature and also his rather brutal tendencies serve them well. His waking dreams of future dangers weave intrigue to storm-like intensity thereby reminding us that avoidance of risk by this Kelly is not an option. Trouble finds you. It always has, a friend tells him. Again stretched to his physical and mental limits among the pristine lakes of the North Country, the last of the Barry County Kellys struggles while clashing head-on with death on Norway Island. The author has spent the better part of thirty years teaching science in rural Ozark schools. Firefighting in the Northwest, serving as policeman in the army, and extensive traveling in his youth provided valued experiences. During his twentieth year a desire to write was sparked by two contemplative months as a fire lookout on an isolated peak above a wild river in Idaho. Different episodes in Europe provided opportunities to travel via train, bicycle, and his thumb from Athens to Amsterdam. Presently, he resides with his wife on a hundred acre farm where raising cattle and wine grapes have now taken the place of raising children. Five books later he maintains his quest to write novel tales for those of noble heart.

This encyclopedia includes a two-volume index, a 12-volume Micropaedia (Ready reference), a 17-volume Macropaedia (Knowledge in depth), and the Propaedia.