Pictured is the front cover “Of a Predatory Heart.” An illustration of Joe Parry is on the left.

“It was 2007 and my bookstore, From My Shelf Books & Gifts had been open for almost a year,” said Kevin Coolidge, owner. “We were selling both new and used books. An older man came in. He identified himself as Joe Parry, an outdoor writer and a Vietnam-era veteran. Joe wanted me to sell his books.

“I was writing a column for the Wellsboro Gazette reviewing newly published books. He told me he used to write for the Wellsboro Gazette as well as ‘Pennsylvania Game News’, ‘Field & Stream: Finns and Feathers’, ‘Turkey Magazine’ and more. Mostly, he had contributed short stories he had written about hunting, fishing and the outdoors to them.

“He wanted to put together an anthology of his short stories, but didn’t know how to do it. He had a folder filled with great stories, more than enough for a book.

“I went through his folder, chose some of the best stories relevant to our area, and typed them up on my computer. Joe was old school and had written all of his stories on a typewriter but didn’t own a computer. 

“I edited the book. Joe titled it ‘Of a Predatory Heart’ after one of the stories in it.

“I helped him publish it with Infinity Press, and we sold many copies of it at From My Shelf Books. 

“Joe’s book went out of print when Infinity Press went out of business several years later. Joe had passed away by then,” Coolidge said.

“I was able to get the original manuscript and publish it under From My Shelf Books & Gifts, the same imprint I publish my Totally Ninja Raccoons and other books I write under,”  said Coolidge.

“I’m happy to announce that ‘Of a Predatory Heart’ is back in print and available wherever you buy your books. Joe’s stories on hunting, fishing, and the outdoor lifestyle run from funny to bittersweet. Together, the stories form a memoir of a lifelong outdoorsman, starting from his return from the Vietnam war. The tales range from archery hunting to fly-fishing, from introducing children to woodcraft to the bond that forms between generations through appreciation of woodlands and the outdoors.”

For more information about “Of a Predatory Heart,” stop in at From My Shelf Books & Gifts at 7 East Avenue in Wellsboro or call 570-724-5793.