Rolland Love

ROLLAND LOVES BOOKS

Rolland Love is the author of novels, short stories and a best-selling computer book. He is a playwright, an actor and a historian. He presents workshops that teach kids how to write the life story of their parents.

1) ✔︎ Amazon selected Rolland Love's books as some of the best reads. http://ozarkstories.com

2) ✔︎ "I love your stories, Rolland. I feel like I'm along on the journey. You write like Mark Twain. Blue Hole and River's Edge were two of the best mystery-suspense books I have ever read.” Tom Gilbert, history teacher

3) ✔︎ "After I read your masterfully written memoir Born Dead on a Winter’s Night, An odyssey of intriguing down-home personal history and mystical intuition in hilarious home-spun tales, I was hooked on your Mark Twain Style. You took me back to some adventures of my childhood. I have read everything you have written." Anna James, editor http://tinyurl.com/javugkd

4) ✔︎ "Rolland, you have written an awesome series of stories, Nature at its best, Great Adventure, Your books have it all, Danger, Wisdom, Unique, Vivid, Enjoyable for all Ages, you are a Natural Storyteller, Excellent Resource for Classrooms, KIDS will be captivated! Just like you, I believe in premonition and intuition. You are a Mark Twain Philosophical Fisherman.” Sam Giordano, Medical Specialist

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rolland.love

Kids writing the life story of their parents.

Born Dead on a Winter's Night

Memoir

I was born dead. In the dead of winter. Still as a stone. Blue as the smoky haze that sometimes settles on the Ozark Mountains. I know because my mother, Helen Love, my father, Ray Love, and Aunt Maude told me so. I can only imagine the scene: Doc Barnes, a tall rugged-looking man with bushy white hair, worked frantically when he realized there was trouble. His white shirt covered in blood and the flickering light of a kerosene lamp added ghost-like dimension to the scene. Cold enough to see your breath, the only source of heat came from a cast iron wood-burning stove in the living room. I was saved because Doc carried me outside and rolled me in snow that covered the ground from a midwinter storm. The cold caused me to take a breath and I began to cry.

Born Dead on a Winter’s Night is a 36,000-word memoir about growing up in Missouri’s rugged Ozark Mountains in the 1940s and 1950s. It’s a collection of essays recalling what life was like living off the land in a self-sufficient family. By others’ standards we were poor, but we had everything we needed. I spent my days fishing, floating the rivers, and narrowly escaping encounters with poisonous snakes. Enjoyed by all ages.

REVIEWS for Born Dead on a Winter's Night

Blue Hole

Mystery Suspense Adventure

Blue Hole and the sequel River’s Edge are mystery suspense novels set in the Ozark Mountains that have received over (200) five star reviews. ★★★★★

The story is based on a tale my grandfather told about a murder where a body was found floating in a swimming hole in a remote area of the Ozarks. The name Blue Hole comes from the sky blue color of a deep pool of water where a spring runs into the Jacks Fork river from the mouth of a cave. Jacks Fork was named one of the most scenic float and fishing streams in the world by Life Magazine.

Review: (Enjoyed by all ages)

AMAZON KINDLE —Featured Author Review— Rolland Love “Love’s writing transfigures his Ozark Mountains stories into a series of fantastic tales Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer could have only dreamed of.”

River's Edge

Mystery Suspense Adventure

River’s Edge is a SEQUEL to Blue Hole ... Two mystery suspense novels set in the Ozark Mountains that have received over (200) five star reviews. The story crept out of me when my brother Dub and I took my grandsons Nick and Jake on a camping trip.

In this idyllic setting, I never imagined we would relive the horror of a murder committed at Blue Hole the last time we were there in 1949, or that I would confront the bitterness between kinfolk buried in the deep cool spring fed river of my youth.

Reviews: (Enjoyed by all ages)

- Excellent Read -
I found River's Edge difficult to put it down. It takes place in the Ozark Mountains, an area I have never been in. So the descriptions of the rugged hill country, animals and vegetation were of interest to me. This is a story that has a beginning, a complicated and lengthy middle plus an exciting end. It has a great deal of suspense and twists and turns. I look forward to reading another book by the same author. By Cardi corgi momma "dog lover" (southern California) -

- Captivating -
“I read Blue Hole and it was excellent Story Telling … Captivating narrative and point of view through the eyes of a 15 year old boy. Accompanied by his younger brother they go on a camping trip. They encounter a series of startling events that force them to face their own inner fears. The tension grows as the story continues until the reader becomes almost afraid to turn the next page. I'll be reading the SEQUEL River’s Edge, guaranteed.” By Lloyd Tackitt, book reviewer.

Toe Tags & TNT

Suspense, Love Story, Adventure

Inspired by a True Life experience. The adventure starts in Las Vegas and ends at the BASS PRO SHOPS in Springfield, Missouri.

What do a mortuary an ex-con; a Grateful Dead groupie and TNT have to do with Route 66 and BASS FISHING?

Climb aboard the motor home and get ready for a wild and frightening cross country trip with a dying and dangerous, psychotic old man who kidnaps and holds hostage a motley crew. Wired with explosives, he creates a story that is BLOOD CURDLING HILARIOUS. â˜®

“Toe Tags & TNT by Rolland Love is NOT a book for the faint hearted. It is a strong, gutsy vivid rollicking tale about two young men and their adventures driving across America.

The characters are well portrayed and one can almost smell the gun smoke and begin to sweat when the unwelcome hitchhiker Harley climbs on board their camper van. The reader is propelled along witnessing one Harley happening after another, and sharing the sighs of relief when the narrator lives to see another day!"

Ozark Mountains Fishing Stories

Fishing Adventures

Here's what you can expect from Ozark Mountains Fishing Stories. “Real fishing stories. You can even read them to your kids around the campfire, in the tent by lantern light, or at home in their beds to get ‘em fired up for the big camping or fishing trip.”

Ozark Mountains Fishing Stories are available as an eBook and AUDIO download, Click Here to hear an audio sample ... http://tinyurl.com/3v3qabq

Reviews: (Enjoyed by All Ages)

"If you haven't read Rolland Love's award winning Ozark Mountains fishing stories you should. They are GREAT stories." Bill Hartman, fishing guide."

"To understand Overland Park writer Rolland Love, think Mark Twain ." Nick Kowalczyk, The Kansas City Star.

AMAZON Kindle — Featured Author Review — “Rolland Love’s deep-rooted passion for the Ozarks comes to life in a series of fantastic fishing tales that Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer could have only dreamed of"

“Rolland Love’s writing appeals not only to children, but to their parents, teachers and grandparents as well. Readers feel the magnetism in every page of Love's work, and soon find themselves yearning for the peace and simplicity of an Ozark Fishing Hole. Love's ability to create such a setting and people it with memorable characters has prompted reviewers to liken his style to that of Mark Twain.” Joyce Rabas, Sun Newspaper

Mark Twain Style Ozark Mountains Fishing Stories AUDIOBOOK

Sport, Adventure, Family, Fishing

Ozark Mountains Fishing Stories are based on the adventures of author Rolland Love who wrote and reads the stories. Here's what you can expect from the Ozark Mountains Fishing Stories (1) hour and (20) minutes AUDIOBOOK. “Real fishing stories. You can even listen to them with your kids around the campfire, in the tent by lantern light, or at home in their beds to get ‘em fired up for the big camping or fishing trip. OR, download and burn a CD to listen too on your next road trip.”

“The stories are enjoyed by fisherman and non-fisherman of ALL AGES.

“Rolland, It's your voice, I love your sophisticated "Hillbilly" twang and the sound effects enables the mind to visualize the scenes and just about be there. Can’t wait to take my Grandson fishing and pop in the Fishing Stories CD,” -Larry Bodinson, PI

Buy and download @

Ozark Mountains DARK SIDE Stories

Mystery Suspense Short Stories

The stories “Death by Lightning”, “The Sparrow Man” and “The Time I Almost Drown” are all fiction based on real life events." Dark Side Stories and Toe Tags & TNT are the only adult books in my Ozark Mountains series, the other novels and short stories are enjoyed by all ages.

Reviews:

"To understand Overland Park writer Rolland Love, think MARK TWAIN." Nick Kowalczyk, The Kansas City Star.

"Rolland, your writing reminds me of reading the Hardy Boy adventures and Mark Twain when I was younger. You are able to create vivid mind pictures. I've read most all of Stephen King's books and he does that for me. Keep writing great stories." Larry Bodinson, PI

"Rolland Love writers in the Mark Twain vein. Excellent storyteller who does not rely on graphic language or sex to cover up a weak story line. His stories are a fast-paced page-flipper of a read.” Molly Martin, Scribes World

Random Memories by Rolland Love & His Dog Sunny

Adventure, Family

Random Memories is a series of stories that are a tribute to my Australian Shepherd "Sunny." The lead story "Sunny the Goose Addled Dog has been published (25) times in newspapers, magazines and anthologies and is enjoyed by all ages.

Table of Contents
Sunny the Goose Addled Dog – An Audio Version is on the Ozarkstories.com website
The American Royal and my Gold Buckle
Johnny’s Shack
Adrift on the Missouri River
Bathing a Snake in the Shower
The Canada Crew
How to Write A Novel with Love
First Attempt at Writing the award winning novel Blue Hole
Second Attempt at Writing Blue Hole – The Sequel is River’s Edge

"The American Royal and my Gold Buckle" is about a boy from the Ozark Mountains who wins the top prize as a bull rider. "Johnny’s Shack" is a 'back in the day' story about a greasy spoon restaurant in Kansas City that only serves pig parts.

"Adrift on the Missouri River" was a scary ordeal about my trip down the Big Muddy without power after the outboard motor on my boat broke down. "Bathing a Snake in the Shower" came about because my college roommate had a (10) foot pet python in a cage under his bed and it started to smell like a combination of rotten eggs and dead mice. The problem we did not anticipate was how badly the snake would shed it's skin once we were in the shower which caused a major plumbing problem.

"The Canada Crew," is a precious story about a fishing trip to Canada with an unlikely crew and an old Native American guide who lived on the reservation.

"How to Write A Novel with Love," is an insight into the process of writing my award-winning mystery suspense novel Blue Hole. For those who think they might to like to write a book, my insight about the ordeal might be worth checking out.

Love’s Look @ Ozark Life

Adventure, History, Family, Fishing, Back in the Day

Love’s Look @ Ozark Life is a compendium of stories providing a taste of his varied literary style.
Titles of LOVE's Stories:

FISH FRY: Back in the day in rural America there would be celebrations where the residents, dogs included, would turn out for a picnic in the town square. Fish Fry is a story about a dad, uncle and a couple of brothers who were responsible for catching enough fish to feed one hundred residents celebrating 100 years of the towns survival though times good and bad. Fiddle music, square dancing, storytelling, pitching horse shoes and lots of laughter along with homemade ice cream were the order of the day. This story is enjoyed by all ages who want to experience the pure joy of living by those growing up in a simpler time and place.

DEATH IN A CAVE: Boys will be boys … Three friends decide to explore a cave in the Ozark Mountains where years earlier a couple of fellas went inside and never again saw the light of day. They were forbidden from exploring the cave so they told their parents they were going fishing. Caves are spooky because of screeching fluttering bats, pitch black darkness and tight crawl spaces. Add a couple of bodies and you’ve got a scary scene.

HILLBILLIES ARE SMARTER THAN YOU THINK! PART 1, 2 & 3 prej·u·dice
A preconceived opinion that is not based on reason or actual experience. I wrote this series because of something my dad told me years ago after I heard someone making fun of Hillbillies. He said, “People who look down on others because they think that they are better than someone else are sadly mistaken. Fact is, the simple life us country folks live might be a best kept secret.”

I could go into a long winded explanation about what’s wrong with making fun of Hillbillies and other ethnic groups, but the video link below featuring “greed” as the main character pretty much says it all. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=joh5LWr9Chs

COMMENTARY ON SOCIAL NETWORKING: I wrote this story after a friend's grandson was killed by a texting driver. I used a humming bird as a primary source so as not to sound too maudlin. The Kansas City Star and other sources have published the commentary.

BUYING STUFF: I wrote a comedy skit for a radio station about compulsive buying and a device I created called a credit card shield. The average American household with at least one credit card has over $15,000 in credit-card debt. “All I want is a little more than I've already got and I'll be happy."

SPEAKING OF FISH: This is a story about the life of a 100 pound catfish living in the Missouri River. The photo of the fish is worth a thousand words.

Plus, there is an assortment of information including a couple of interviews where I talk about what it's like growing up in the Ozarks Mountains helping my uncle run a fishing camp when I was a kid.

Love’s novels and short stories have received over (500) five star reviews.