Desolation Ghosts is a 65,000-word adult literary fiction novel in the vein of The Human Stain. It is set in North Cascades National Park and is about a missing traumatized female veteran with alcohol and relationship addictions who changes her mind about killing herself, but then falls off a mountain and must survive in the wilderness while park rangers battle over how much effort should be spent to locate her. The story takes place during the Covid-19 pandemic and the beginning of law enforcement reforms following the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests. This book will appeal to readers who are interested in national parks, outdoor recreation, the Pacific Northwest, and the controversial issue of how emergency services treat people with mental health challenges. It includes exciting stories, based on real-life events, about using rock climbing and short-haul helicopter techniques to rescue a pack string mule who fell off a trail and a mountain climber who fell off a crag, a shoot-out and its impact on park rangers, a couple drownings, an aquatic body recovery and other sad outdoor tragedies, and funny and scary encounters with bears and other wildlife. If you like Jack Kerouac, Nevada Barr, Bree Loewen, Jon Krakauer, Michael Connelly, James Dickey's Deliverance, Matthew Quick's The Silver Linings Playbook or Scott Heim's Mysterious Skin, you may enjoy Desolation Ghosts.

Saturday, November 27, 2021

Personal Essay

 I just submitted what they call a "personal essay" to the Sun.

Query letter: 

Dear Sun editors:

My personal essay, Bird, is a 1068-word reflection on how workplaces have changed over the years and what it’s like to be 50 and looking unsuccessfully for a job for a long time, then what it’s like to finally get hired after fearing you might never work again.

This story will appeal to readers who identify with being a part of the American work force for the past 30 years, especially people who have had a lot of jobs.

I have a bachelor’s degree in English and have published several newspaper articles for the San Diego Union-Tribune and the Bellingham Weekly and a short story in red. literary magazine.

Thank you for your consideration,

 Kelly Clark

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