Big Sandy

by David Reichart

From 1820 to 1845, bounty hunters in Centre County, Pennsylvania, killed more than 600 cougars, eliminating the entire native species. In the dawn of the Twenty-First Century re-population begins near a small Appalachian valley town when a cougar and her cub escape from Loony Larry’s roadside zoo.

Big Sandy is a funny, uplifting, fast-paced story about two 11-year-old boys, a couple of bullies who hound them, and a displaced yearling cougar that impulsively follows them around their hometown, usually just out of sight of adults. The action revolves around the boys’ attempts to save the cougar from people who are determined to destroy him.

Big Sandy is an uncommon tale that will capture the hearts of middle grade readers and delight adults who can appreciate the magic in simple times and small towns.

When the story opens, Butch Ryder and Gary Bailey are full of mischief as they begin their final summer before entering middle school. Maybe their impish behavior is in response to anxiety that is never discussed or even acknowledged, but trouble always seems to be lurking around the corner. It might be a good thing, after all, that the young panther slinks into their lives and steals the boys’ attention away from their own doubts and worries. On a certain level, the story is about the struggles we all face during transitional times in our lives. Though it may be difficult, change is natural and necessary for adolescents, teenagers, parents and even cougars

102 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 12, 2012

About the author

My writing career included several years in the newspaper business as a reporter, copy editor and managing editor and five years as a freelance copywriter. While trying to make a living in the traditional sense, I managed to do a lot of writing in my spare time--work I wanted to do, things I wanted to write, things I never got paid for.

Eventually, my spare-time creative writing began to pay off. I signed with an agent in Los Angeles and later one in New York, and I managed to option my screenplay, Big Sandy, to a Hollywood producer and make some money.

I mention those close calls and moral victories because I think there are thousands of people with those kinds of experiences--writers who have studied their craft and paid their dues and who will now provide material for the exploding digital publishing revolution. I’m talking about writers who didn’t have the time, contacts, opportunity (okay, maybe talent) to succeed in the world of traditional publishing, but who, given the opportunity, just might find a market for their fiction.

I’ve enlisted in the Independent Publishing Revolution, and I’m a gung-ho soldier. There’s no doubt in my military mind that the best is yet to come, and I'm still dreaming about the day I'm finally proclaimed an overnight success.

Reviews

[Roger Laidig · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kept my interest

I’m praying 74 years old and don’t know how I got this book. It’s not the kind of book that I typically would read.

But once I started reading it,I got hooked as it took me back to my childhood. And so I enjoyed it and finished it.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A timeless and universal story that will make you smile and maybe shed a tear at the same time.