Interview with NANCY AVOLESE

Author of The Wolf Man of Kane, Pennsylvania

Where are you from originally and where do you reside now?

I was born and raised in the small town of Burnham, PA. My parents moved to the country on my graduation night. Hot water at one house, my clothes were at another, and I was almost late for my own high school graduation.

Now, I live in Middletown, PA in an old 1886 farm house with a barn, workshop, garden shed, and outhouse. I share the property with my goats, chickens, and two dogs.

If you currently reside somewhere besides where you were born, what’s the story that lead from there to here?

It was my job that brought me here. I worked in Education Administration for over 32 years.

What made you decide to write and publish your first book?

When I was in college and had to pick a topic for my thesis in American Studies, I decided it was time to find out where the wolves of Kane, PA went and if they still existed.

My grandparents and parents took me to see them when I was a small child in the mid-to-late sixties and early seventies.

Once I was in college, I kept asking around and no one seemed to know for sure what happened to them. So…I drove the 5-6 hours to Kane, PA to find out for myself! I checked into a cheap motel. I researched over 40 years of newspapers with a hand-crank microfilm machine. The only copier was at the high school library. I interviewed everyone in town that would talk to me. A women I met took me to see the remnants of the wolf pens with more than a foot of snow on the ground and me without boots!

When I got home I started collecting old postcards and anything else about these wolves that I could find. So I did my master thesis on the wolves, Dr. McCleery, and the global significance of saving a sub-species of the gray wolf from total eradication (especially when even the top biologists wrote that they were extinct).

Then, a few years later, when I retired, it was easy to turn it into an historic novel.

How would you describe your books to first time readers?

“The Wolf Man of Kane, Pennsylvania” is an historic novel. Based on fact but I tried to make it more readable by putting it in a story form. Of course, I had to make up conversations from the 1890s-1960s but the events are true. I did a lot of research. I aligned it with National events. The book is about Dr. Edward H. McCleery (medical doctor, father, husband, and friend), who lived in Kane, PA, and who saved the last few Great Plains Wolf pups (Canis lupus nubilus) from total annihilation. He did so at a huge cost, financially, personally, and emotionally.

Who do you feel is most likely to connect with the topics you write about?

Anyone who appreciates and loves Nature and animals or has an interest in endangered species. Most people, if they are not hunters or western ranchers, seem to love (or at least respect) wolves. My book is equally about the wolves as it is about Dr. McCleery.

What unexpected or surprising thing did you learn during the process of writing and publishing?

I’ve had many surprises. My book has so much of “me” and my life in it, even though I tried to become Dr. Edward McCleery when I wrote it. He seemed to talk to me and cheer me on as I got further into my writing. I kept his picture on my desk as I wrote. I still visit his grave whenever I go to Kane, PA.

I was astonished when I went to visit an older gentleman to talk with about the wolves and he handed me a box of old newspapers and photos. He told me to sit down in his dining room, make myself at home, and he would be back after his volunteer gig. He didn’t know me. His house was full of antiques. I could have, at the very least, walked away with the treasures in the box. The people in Kane were all like that and over the years some of them have become my dearest friends.

It still surprises me how far reaching Dr. McCleery’s story has come. He should be named the “Father of the Endangered Species Act”, and maybe he will someday.

The Kane Historic Preservation Society opened a wing of their museum just for “the McCleery collection”.

Currently Wolf Haven International has the descendants of the McCleery wolves. They are getting DNA tests to see if they are from Canis lupus nubilus. I was able to fly to Montana last summer and attend one of their board meetings, see the MCleery wolves, and visit Yellowstone.

I received a message on Facebook, which I thought was spam, so I ignored it. He persisted and we have become friends. We started a non-profit – “Keystone Wolf Education”. We go into libraries and classrooms and try to education people about wolves and their behavior. They are not the bloodthirsty predators, they are made out to be in myths, literature, and the media. Instead, they mate for life, love their families, educate their young, grieve for their dead, and hunt to survive. I’ve learned so much and enjoyed many new experiences just because I wrote and published this book. It was truly life-changing.

If you could, what advice would you give to your past self before embarking on this journey?

“Hire an editor. You are a terrible editor and so are your friends. Double check your facts, don’t assume someone is dead. Write every single day; even slow progress is progress.”

How many people would you ideally like to reach with your books?

The entire world. I believe Dr. McCleery’s story is universal. He proved that one man can, and did, make a difference.

What has been the biggest challenge and frustration during the process to date?

My first public comment on Amazon said, “the book and the characters were depressing.” That hit hard. Fortunately, not another person felt that way. In fact, people stop me on the street and tell me that they loved the book.

What’s your biggest strengths when it comes to book a) writing, b) publishing and c) marketing?

I write with deep feelings and tune into the senses. I try to get facts across in a way that is more interesting for the reader.

I love that I self-published and didn’t give control to anyone!

I treated the people I met with friendship, kindness, and honesty. Now, the local historic preservation society and some groups from the surrounding counties buy my book on a regular basis. One of the Kane history teachers bought the book for his class as well, and then before the second printing, he wrote the Foreword.

What’s your biggest weakness when it comes to book a) writing, b) publishing and c) marketing?

As my best friend said to me, “You are more of a storyteller and not so much a writer.” She, of course, is correct. I am not disciplined at all. I won’t write for months and then I will continue writing until the demons are gone, skipping meals and sleep. Writing, truly is a lonely vocation.

Marketing, hah!, I have no marketing skills other than being smart enough to put it on Amazon and Ebay. The books sell because of Dr. McCleery’s story.

I tried my own web page for a while but I rarely sold a book so it wasn’t worth the cost and if truth be told I wasn’t putting in the time to keep it fresh and interesting.

When do you think you will write your next book?

I am in the process of writing a sequel that goes beyond the McCleery years and brings us into the present. I hope to have it done by next year. We will see if the writing gods are favorable to me.

Are you self published or did you use a hybrid publisher, or a traditional publisher?

I am self-published.