Local man authors preteen book

Book by Bruce Isham
Book by Bruce Isham

The fifth book written for preteens by Bruce Isham is available in California and Jefferson City.

According to Isham, "Adventure on Cherokee Ridge," published and marketed by Cinderfoot Books, was written for "preteens and anyone who likes an unusual adventure with a great ending."

The author reports that his books "emphasize building positive character and good values."

The latest book is available at Sweet Buy and Buy and Drinkards Construction in California, as well as Downtown Books II in the Capital Mall, Jefferson City.

Isham and his wife moved from the northern California area to Texas, several years ago. About a year ago, they made another move, this time to California, Missouri.

The area they lived in in east Texas was building up too quickly, so they sold their house and looked for a new place to relocate to. They checked out several places looking for a quiet community away from the freeway but within a half hour of a larger city. They found a town named California, Missouri, and being from California, they decided to check it out. A visit to the community found the people to be friendly, and the location to be a good fit. They've been here about a year.

He has been a writer and storyteller for many years. He published his first book in 1997. A year later, he had written a second book and began a career as a storyteller.

For about 15 years, he did assembly programs for elementary schools, bringing history in an interesting form to students at hundreds of schools in the western United States. He was known as "The Historic Storyteller," presenting programs on "Johnny Appleseed," "Ghost Towns of the Old West," and "Traveling Across America" to all ages from kindergarten to senior citizens in retirement centers and assisted living communities.

He has been a speaker at educator conferences and presented storytelling workshops for teachers and librarians.

A native of Ohio, Isham grew up in the San Francisco Bay area. While still a teenager, he began traveling around America and living for short periods of time in several different parts of the country. He recounted some of the adventures of his life in his book "Grit, Glory and the Open Road."

A major interest was exploring and photographing Western ghost towns. Putting on art programs with a local arts council, with "Ghost Towns of the Old West" as his theme, and after developing a presentation on "Johnny Appleseed," he launched into a full-time career as an author and storyteller.

Now that Isham is a local resident, the community can look forward to the availability of more books. Happy reading.