This blog is the accompaniment to the book, Lawrence DeWolfe Kelsey:The Life of the Explorer, by Jane-Alexandra Krehbiel.~~~L.D. Kelsey was a young radio operator on WWII merchant ships, a member of the Finn Ronne Antarctic Expedition, and a member of the Fairservis Archaeological Expedition in Afghanistan and Pakistan,all before age 25.~~This blog is an accompaniment to the book and a pathway to understanding the very full and interesting life of this multifaceted person of many interests.
Monday, March 9, 2020
Introducing "The Granite Rock"
This is the latest book written by the daughter and author of "Lawrence DeWolfe Kelsey: The Life of the Explorer".
"The Granite Rock" is a novel, and is available at the following locations:
https://booklocker.com/books/10664.html
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-granite-rock-jane-alexandra-krehbiel/1134915295?ean=9781647180423
https://www.amazon.com/Granite-Rock-Jane-Alexandra-Krehbiel/dp/1647180422
You may also find additional copies of "Lawrence DeWolfe Kelsey: The Life of the Explorer" at this link and at many other look sellers.
https://booklocker.com/books/9550.html
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/lawrence-dewolfe-kelsey-jane-alexandra-krehbiel/1127574533
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Lawrence-DeWolfe-Kelsey-The-Life-of-the-Explorer-eBook/835041203
Happy Reading Everyone !
Tuesday, December 24, 2019
Saturday, October 27, 2018
Anniversary of a Ten Year Passing
Today marks ten years since the passing of Lawrence DeWolfe Kelsey, the explorer, from Earth. Some of the things that have happened since his passing, he would have predicted, and yet others would have saddened him. Some days I am secretly glad that he is not here to see some of the things that have befallen the nations and the people he cared and worked so hard to help.
Still, this is a chance to read about the man, his life and times, in what at least seemed for a moment, like a simpler world.
Buy the Book
Saturday, September 8, 2018
"Westward: The Novel" Has Been Released.
Although I have written fact based or true books in the past, I also occasionally write novels. This is my second novel which was released for sale this week.
For those who are interested in learning about it, or purchasing it, it is available at this link:
https://booklocker.com/books/9981.html
About the Book Larissa (Lara) Crowell is a registered nurse with four young children.Now that her husband has made the transition from police officer to attorney, she hopes to be able to remain at home with their four young children. The sudden death of her husband causes her to have to return to work. This is the story of her adjustment and triumphs as she learns to combine both the world of being a breadwinner and a parent. It also traces her eventual meeting of the second great love of her life, and of her learning to trust him enough to blend him into her close family with her children. Sometimes the challenges you anticipate are not the ones that actually occur.
Thank you for considering reading it also.
The varietal electronic versions are also available.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07J4VK99P
It is also up at the other stores:
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/westward-jane-alexandra-krehbiel/1129481765
https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/westward-the-novel/id1438371156
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/westward-the-novel
Sunday, June 17, 2018
On Father's Day
Lawrence D. Kelsey Jr. wasn't much of a holiday person. He took time off to celebrate Christmas and Easter when his children were small but other holidays for him were largely meaningless. Although he enjoyed gatherings, dinners, brunches and barbecues they were just as likely to occur on an ordinary day that fit for those attending, than he was to attend them on a particular holiday. On Father's Day, we was just as likely to buy all the oil, oil filters and air filters needed for the family's cars, along with a timing belt, and he probably would have preferred to catch up on those, rather than have had a celebration.
With his being gone now, I sometimes wish that we had more of the celebrations on the actual holiday. I wish I could remember more gatherings we had specifically on Father's Day. The truth is, he didn't. He lived his life largely as he wanted to and sometimes his practices were unconventional as he worked hard to fit in all of the interests he had.
Make no mistake though, even without the celebrations on Father's Day that he really chose to skip, he knew in many other ways that he was truly treasured as a Dad, and he probably still does, even now.
Happy Father's Day, Daddy.
The book is on special sale today.
Thursday, April 19, 2018
Progress on Book Distribution and Many Thanks to You All
This is my grandfather Lawrence DeWolfe Kelsey Sr. holding my father as a tot, the subject of this book. Time flies no matter what year you were born on the Earth! |
The book has been broadly released and is available in English in softcover book form and in electronic form as far afield as Russia, Australia, and Germany. It was interesting to me that readers in South America were quite interested in this book.
I think Dad would have been pleased and slightly embarrassed that his life story was released and covered the world. I am sorry that he is no longer available on our plane to do the speaking engagements and question and answer sessions he excelled at and that he did following the Finn Ronne Expedition, and his time in Afghanistan.
A number of Lawrence DeWolfe Kelsey Jr's friends and co-workers are alive, and the book has been well received by them, which has been a great source of pleasure for me. I thank those of you who have read this book, and those of you who contributed to it, with all my heart. Best wishes to you all.
Friday, December 1, 2017
Available for Sale: Lawrence DeWolfe Kelsey:The Life of the Explorer
This is the very first link I have found which is selling the new book, which was technically released on November 30th, 2017
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1634927850/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1512141728&sr=1-4
Thank you to all who aided me in the writing and production of this book!
Probably the least expensive source: https://www.amazon.com/Lawrence-DeWolfe-Kelsey-Life-Explorer/dp/1634927850
or:
http://booklocker.com/books/9550.html
or:
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/p/lawrence-dewolfe-kelsey-jane-alexandra-krehbiel/1127574533/2678725078888?st=PLA&sid=BNB_DRS_New+Marketplace+Shopping+Books_00000000&2sid=Google_&sourceId=PLGoP164949&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIxs7YlNaM2QIVS1mGCh01gwMGEAYYASABEgI05_D_BwE
https://www.booktopia.com.au/lawrence-dewolfe-kelsey-jane-alexandra-krehbiel/prod9781634927857.html;jsessionid=VmS64+5P-yI+sNr84UMVPEXO
Kindle version:
https://www.amazon.com/Lawrence-DeWolfe-Kelsey-Life-Explorer-ebook/dp/B0782819RV/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=&dpID=51c%252B4d8L8gL&preST=_SY445_QL70_&dpSrc=detail
Other electronic versions:
Amazon Store URL - https://kdp.amazon.com/…/dualbookshelf.marketpla…/B0782819RV
BN Store URL - https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/lawrence-dewol…/1127574533…
Please visit my Amazon Author page:
https://www.amazon.com/Jane-Alexandra-Krehbiel/e/B00J94CM9U
Thursday, November 30, 2017
More Information on the Release of Lawrence D Kelsey: The Life of the Explorer
It is not enough to write a book. In today's market, one must also give thought to marketing such a book. One of the strategies to doing so is to create a market for the book prior to its actual release. I therefore reported that I expected this book to be releases in late November. This would have been nice from the standpoint that the brothers to this book, my three other books, were all released in November. Alas, this has been an atypical project and took more time in its final stages than was anticipated.
It therefore is likely to be available as a perfect bound 6x9 inch soft cover book in the first week of December, and in every form of electronic media two weeks from yesterday. This should still provide time for those of you who wished to make it a Christmas present.
This will also allow the book to be available and ready in multiple media forms before Giedrė Žickytė releases her new documentary film "The Jump" on the subject of Simas Kudirka is released in 2018. Lawrence D. Kelsey's role in the release of Simas Kudirka is mentioned in this film, and it is also my intent to have my book lead people to the great work of award winning film maker Giedrė Žickytė.
Of course, it is also my intent to have shared a view of a remarkable and interesting person, my father, Lawrence DeWolfe Kelsey, in all of his occupations, roles and incarnations throughout his lifetime.
Wednesday, November 22, 2017
The Process of Suggesting, Refining and Perfecting a Book Cover
This was a starting point, a mock up of the book cover, as it began. |
I don't know how other authors feel, but I am always very excited at the prospect of the creation of a book cover for one of my books. Book covers are important. We know that most people are drawn to a book by its cover. So many books come to market each year that it's important to have an interesting cover that represents the work itself in some way.
Of the four books I have written, this was the most challenging book thus far, to write as well as to cover. The first issue was that since it is a biography, that a picture of the person himself needed to appear on the cover. Secondly, I only owned rights to a certain number of photographs. Authors aren't permitted to use photographs taken by photographers without obtaining their permission. This can be difficult because a number of the photographs I could access of Lawrence D. Kelsey, Jr. were taken by photographers who have long since gone out of business or died. I am still not permitted to steal one of their photos. Secondly, of the photos for which I did have rights, there was some damage. Work would need to be done to repair these photos digitally. The one that we ultimately selected for the front cover, had significant damage to the original negative. The prior books I had written had pictures taken for the covers fairly recently and so quality and clarity were not a problem. Our cover designer is very good at what he does. His first offering was a picture of an ice cave which included a version of the picture above. It worked well, but my concern was that the subject of the book spent only two years in Antarctica and then a year in the Arctic, and this book is the story of many more of those years.
Then, the mock up you see above came. This version showed the man, was clear as to what it was, and also tells the reader that this will tell a story from the recent past. This week, the front cover and back cover were undergoing refinement. I promise, it will be available to all of you soon.
Saturday, November 11, 2017
Coming Very Soon !
Lawrence DeWolfe Kelsey, Jr. The Explorer |
As soon as the cover is completed, and approved, and then married to the book itself, then my fourth book:
Lawrence DeWolfe Kelsey: The Life of the Explorer
will be ready for sale and for worldwide distribution, in English.
I am excited about this, and I can't wait until its completion. I have said, in the past, that my favorite part of writing a book is the moment when you receive the very first bound copy that can be held in your hands.
I'll let you know as soon as it's available on Amazon and at other book sellers.
Tuesday, October 31, 2017
Available in Late November
Lawrence DeWolfe Kelsey:
The Life of the Explorer
as a softcover bound book, should be available in November, 2017.
Shortly after, it should also be available in all manner of electronic fashion, if you prefer to read that way. Within a few months, it should be available, in English, worldwide.
This book traces the fairly unusual early life, and then the expeditions for which the title character is probably most commonly known. Then, it looks ahead to his achievements in England, in the 1950s. It moves on to his life on his return to the US, his family life, and his achievements and challenges as a husband and father. When his children are teens, he returns to the sea. This is a multi-layered story of an interesting person, coupled with the challenges of living, for him and for us all. It has wisdom for all of us who grow, and then who eventually age. Interestingly, he did not stop achieving, as he aged. He did not stop doing good in the world, on his own terms, and usually anonymously whenever possible.
It promises to be an interesting read.
Sunday, October 29, 2017
Cover Confusion
Lawrence DeWolfe Kelsey |
On my last three books the covers to the book were much easier. The first had a cover picture commissioned specifically for the book. The second had a picture of the subject, taken by someone who later became a professional photographer. I took the third cover picture with a new camera, specifically for the cover. This time, the choices were more limited. The subject of the book is the life of my father. The book starts in the 1930s and through to 2008. The pictures most suitable for the cover and those without exceptional resolution and that have sustained some damage over the years. This is the first time I have simply not been able to go out and photograph the subject of the project.
I realize now that I should have commissioned drawings of the subject long ago and should have better anticipated the challenges in cover creation, for this particular project.
Saturday, October 28, 2017
In the Waiting Room
This book represents the completion of my fourth book. The first book was centered on principles of preparedness, primarily for the uninitiated. (Rational Preparedness:A Primer to Preparedness, 2012)
The second book was the story of the life of my youngest son, Daniel. (What I Learned from Daniel, 2012) It is a tribute to his life.
The third book was a first novel. (Portsoy Woods, 2016) This is the story of a family who relocate from suburban Northern Virginia to a large acre tract in very rural Virginia, just before a significant financial collapse.
The fourth book, and latest effort is a biography of a man who goes to sea in the Merchant Marines at sixteen, but crafts a life as an explorer as he accepts one challenging job after another. The book does discuss his family of origin and his friends as their attitudes and ideas help to clarify his motivations and his decisions. (Lawrence DeWolfe Kelsey: The Life of the Explorer, 2017, most likely available in November)
This can be both a joyous and an uncomfortable time for an author. First, most authors are pleased to have a project finally completed, and yet we hope that we have completed the project to the best of our abilities. I also sit on the uncomfortable bench of waiting for the book cover to be completed. This is a lot like waiting for a friend who is in surgery. A book cover is so important, and yet, I must wait.
I am hoping for a November, 2017 release for this work. I will keep you all informed. Lawrence DeWolfe Kelsey, the explorer is my father.
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