Books

Novels & Books published by Dan Kincaid

A Ranger's Ramblings

This book is a compilation of various writings by the author over the years. Many of these stories, columns, and opinion pieces are related to sports. Others are related to forestry or other natural resource and outdoor topics; several are of a human interest nature; and a few are humor columns.
The majority of these writings appeared in The Marietta (OH) Times, a daily newspaper, where the author wrote weekly forestry-related columns from 1981 – 1990, while working for the U.S. Forest Service at the Wayne National Forest. Some of these writings appeared in other publications, such as magazines and newsletters, into the 2000’s.
The sports-related stories were written primarily during a time in the mid to late 1980s when he was a part-time sports writer at The Marietta Times, in addition to writing his weekly forestry and outdoor columns; same with the humor and human interest stories.
The author enjoyed working with the regular newspaper staff; writing in the newsroom to meet a deadline for the Saturday morning paper, following Friday night ballgames; interacting with all of the journalism professionals; learning how a daily newspaper came together; and much more.
After those years and until final retirement in 2013, he continued writing numerous articles, primarily related to forestry and natural resources, for a variety of magazines, newspapers, and newsletters. You will enjoy reading these various ‘ramblings’ from over the years. First, the forestry and natural resource-related writings, followed by the sports and miscellaneous stories. Buy on Amazon

Kade Holley, Forest Ranger Vol. VII

This book, Volume VII of the Kade Holley, Forest Ranger series, covers a variety of assignments and experiences that Kade had from the early days of his first duty station at Bartow, WV on the Monongahela National Forest in West Virginia in 1974 all the way until his retirement from the Forest Service in 2006, where he was serving as the District Ranger on the Wayne National Forest in Athens, Ohio. The first chapter covers a trip to Nebraska, where Kade made a presentation at the annual Urban Forestry Conference and then visited with an old friend from forestry school who took him to see portions of the Nebraska National Forest. The last chapter gives details of many of Kade’s travels to various other meetings and conferences throughout his career, which took him to nearly all parts of the country. In between, there are accounts of being in charge of an ice storm recovery effort; and leading the Eligibility Study of a river being considered for inclusion in the Wild and Scenic River system. Both of these occurred on the Wayne National Forest in Ohio. The other two chapters: 1) tell of Kade’s involvement with numerous youth camps over the years; and 2) provide details of a program he developed and presented to many natural resource audiences in the late 1990s and early 2000s on the topic of “Tips and Hints for Dealing with the Media.” I hope you enjoy these stories of the experiences of Kade Holley, Forest Ranger. Buy on Amazon

Kade Holley, Forest Ranger Vol. VI

In this volume of Kade Holley, Forest Ranger, Kade gives details of three fire assignments with the U.S. Forest Service that he had in the states of Minnesota, Montana, and Colorado. In addition, he tells about a 2 ½ year period when he actually left the Forest Service to work with Westvaco, a major forest products company, at its Central Woodlands location headquartered in Wickliffe, Kentucky. - In Chapter 1 Kade takes a position as Public Affairs Forester with Westvaco. He performs a variety duties primarily helping to publicize the company’s forest management activities in Kentucky and Tennessee. - In Chapter 2 Kade works at Minnesota’s Superior National Forest (NF) in 1995 where a wildfire is burning near the end of the Gunflint Trail into the Boundary Waters Canoe Area and on into Canada. Kade served as a Fire Information Officer (IO). - Chapter 3 covers Kade’s IO detail to Montana, which was experiencing one of its worst fire seasons in recent memory in 2000. He worked out of the state capitol in Helena and dealt with a wildfire burning in the Helena NF and adjacent private lands. - This book concludes with Chapter 4 and one more IO assignment, this time working at the Hayman Fire in 2002, which was at the time the largest wildfire in the history of Colorado. Burning primarily in the Pike NF between Denver and Colorado Springs, this high profile fire had many twists and turns and kept IO’s busy dealing with the media, politicians, local officials, and law enforcement investigators. Buy on Amazon

Kade Holley, Forest Ranger Vol. V

- In Chapter One of this volume, early in his career, Kade is part of a 20-person crew sent from the Wayne-Hoosier NF to help battle a unique blaze at the Seney National Wildlife Refuge in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

- Chapter Two covers the time he spent in Ohio at the Marietta Unit of the Wayne NF, where his duties increasingly became involved with public affairs, community outreach, and media relations.

- In Chapter Three Kade takes on a temporary assignment at the Daniel Boone NF in Kentucky, where he serves as Public Affairs Officer for a special team involved with the eradication of marijuana growing illegally on public lands.

- And, finally, in Chapter Four Kade is stationed at the small Uwharrie NF in North Carolina’s Piedmont, where the work is extremely complex and varied.

Through it all, Kade Holley truly enjoys being a forest ranger and working for the U.S. Forest Service.

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Kade Holley, Forest Ranger Vol. IV

Kade Holley is at it again, as the Forest Ranger has unique experiences that differ from his previous adventures. This volume includes the following stories:

Kade is assigned to the State & Private Forestry (S&PF) branch of the U.S. Forest Service, where he is responsible for assisting state forestry agencies in New Jersey, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, and Ohio with their programs in urban forestry and conservation education.
In his S&PF assignment, Kade teaches a three-credit course in two separate semesters at West Virginia University, titled Public Relations and Communications for Natural Resource Managers. Kade also helps a student write a term paper about unique experiences he had while working at National Forest locations in: Georgia, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Ohio.
Kade takes a temporary position as Public Information Officer at the headquarters for the National Forests in North Carolina at Asheville. While there, he also assists the Research branch of the Forest Service to compile a booklet about the Experimental Forests located in the South.
While working in the S&PF Office in Morgantown, WV, Kade is assigned to spend 50 percent of his time for one year as the Public Information Officer for the West Virginia Division of Forestry. The goal is to provide positive forestry-related stories for various media outlets around the state.
Kade gives two lectures to a college class about his experiences related to forest fires when he worked at the Superior National Forest in Ely, Minnesota; the Monongahela National Forest in Bartow, West Virginia; and the Wayne National Forest in Ironton, Ohio.

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West Virginia Romances: Tales of Young Love in the Mountain State, Volume II

Here’s the second volume of West Virginia Romances – Tales of Young Love in the Mountain State with four short stories ranging from the mid-Ohio River Valley to the Pocahontas County mountains and from the eastern panhandle to Charleston, Mercer County, and Greenbrier County. Young readers and parents, too, will enjoy these stories of young love with plenty of references to well-known towns, schools, and events from around the Mountain State. In the first story, a young girl, who is working for the summer at Blennerhassett Island Historical State Park, which is located in the Ohio River near Parkersburg, meets a boy from Ravenswood who is visiting the island on a family outing with his parents and his two younger sisters. The two rising high school seniors are instantly attracted to each other and………. well, you’ll just have to read the rest of the story. In the second tale, a star volleyball player is upset when her dad is transferred to a very rural area in the Pocahontas County mountains of the Monongahela National Forest. Then, before her junior year at the new high school starts, she meets a boy whose father works with her dad. Sparks fly and her attitude toward this new situation suddenly changes, all for the better. In the third novella two students from Shepherd University, who had not previously known each other, meet during the summer at the Appalachian Trail Visitor Center in Harpers Ferry. Common interests and a dedication to their studies soon leads them to what seems destined to be a long-term relationship. The final story begins with a chance encounter during the state high school track meet at Laidley Field in Charleston. A Concord University baseball player, at the track meet to watch his sister from Greenbrier East High School run in the 3200-meter race, meets a girl from PikeView High School. ‘Love at first sight’ seems to be the proper term for these two and ……… you’ll have to read the story to see how it all turns out. Buy on Amazon

West Virginia Romances: Tales of Young Love in the Mountain State

Stories of young love abound in the Mountain State. the stories in this book are especially suited to the young reader - both girls and boys. And even to their parents, who very possibly fell in love in West Virginia. In the first story, a young girl, who is an athlete from out-of-state, comes to Huntington to attend Marshall University on a track scholarship. Though homesick at first, she begins to feel more comfortable in her new town when she finds unexpected love over the Thanksgiving holiday. In the second story, a summer educational training session at Snowshoe Resort brings together a young couple who share similar hopes and plans for the future. In the third story, two high school students from the Ohio river towns of Williamstown and St. Marys begin to fall in love after a chance encounter at a basketball game. The final story involves a girl from Putnam County and a boy from Tucker County who meet at a state science symposium held at West Virginia University in Morgantown. These stories are fictional, but very similar to situations that happen often throughout West Virginia. I sincerely hope you enjoy reading these "tales of young love in the Mountain State" and telling other readers about them. Buy on Amazon

Softball in The Villages® Community: 'Senior Softball Heaven'

The Villages® Community in Florida is well known throughout the country for its excellent senior softball programs, facilities, and opportunities. With nearly 3,000 current players, both men and women, participating on more than 200 various league and travel teams, this location has often been called 'Senior Softball Heaven.' This book gives a brief overview of Village softball for the newcomer, while also providing a glimpse into its 25-year history of phenomenal growth – from one field with a few people playing pick-up games to the current programs played on 15 beautiful, well maintained fields. Kincaid has also provided over 130 individual player Bio’s to give the reader an idea of who is playing softball here; their previous backgrounds; and some of their comments on the programs. Buy on Amazon

The Great Outdoors

From 1985 to 1990 Dan Kincaid’s weekly column, "The Great Outdoors", appeared in The Marietta (OH) Times newspaper. It focused on hunting and fishing, but also covered various other topics of interest to those who loved the outdoors. Marietta bordered West Virginia, with the Ohio River separating the two states. Many readers lived in the Mountain State as well as Ohio. Thus, the columns covered issues and items from both areas. Come along and re-live those days and topics that were popular over 30 years ago. Buy on Amazon

Your.....Wayne National Forest, Vol.I

Selected historical newspaper columns from the author's weekly writings in 1981 and 1982, which covered outdoor, natural resource, and national forest related topics. These columns appeared in various southeastern Ohio newspapers, primarily The Marietta Times and The Monroe County Beacon. Buy on Amazon

Kade Holley, Forest Ranger Vol. III

The Kade Holley saga continues as the Forest Ranger: 1) takes a soil scientist and a hydrologist to the Monongahela National Forest's remote Blister Swamp in Pocahontas County, West Virginia, where the trio's mission to collect data is interrupted by an unanticipated and dangerous event; 2) gets an opportunity to bat against Major League All-Star pitcher Phil Niekro as part of a promotional event put on by an Atlanta TV station; 3) speaks to a high school biology class about some of his most interesting and unusual encounters over the years with birds; 4) leads an effort to have the Marietta Unit of Ohio's Wayne National Forest selected to provide the Capitol Christmas Tree for the U.S. Capitol in 1987; and finally, 5) recalls several interesting experiences while working at northern Minnesota's Superior National Forest, including meeting two famous Minnesotans and surviving a harrowing boat ride across Snowbank Lake during a sudden and fierce summer storm. Although Kade Holley's work in the outdoors often brings with it an element of suspense and frequent danger, there are also treasured moments that come with being a Forest Ranger with the U.S. Forest Service - and he loves it all. Written for the Teenage/Young Adult audience. Buy on Amazon

Kade Holley, Forest Ranger Vol.II

Kade Holley is a Forest Ranger with the U.S. Forest Service, managing and protecting the natural resource gems of this country - the National Forests. In this second volume Kade is the focal point of a series of five multi-state adventures that will have you eagerly rushing to turn the next page. He has an encounter with an angry bull moose in northern Minnesota's Superior National Forest; he deals with a black bear that is causing concern to hikers at Brasstown Bald on Georgia's Chattahoochee National Forest; and he becomes a witness when he sees poachers illegally shoot a huge buck deer on West Virginia's Monongahela National Forest. There is a "smelly" encounter with turkey vultures in Ohio's Wayne National Forest and Kade participates on a national fire prevention team in Colorado, where he unexpectedly gets to take a "harrowing" practice ride with up and coming race car driver Scott Dixon prior to the 2002 Denver Grand Prix. Through it all, Kade never waivers in his love for his family, his love of being a Forest Ranger, and his love of the National Forests. He understands that his work is sometimes dangerous, often challenging, and always fun and interesting. "That’s life as a “ranger,” Kade says. This book will take you through a series of adventures that many dream about, but very few ever experience. Written for the Teenage/Young Adult audience. Buy on Amazon

Kade Holley, Forest Ranger Vol.I

Kade Holley is a Forest Ranger with the U.S. Forest Service, managing and protecting the natural resource gems of this country - the National Forests. In this first book Kade is the focal point of a series of five multi-state adventures that will have you eagerly rushing to turn the next page. He has a life threatening float-plane crash on a remote lake in the vast wilderness of northern Minnesota's Superior National Forest; he is faced with a forest fire situation in the pine forests of the North Carolina Piedmont; and he encounters a group of drunken vandals intent on destroying Forest Service property in southeastern Ohio's Wayne National Forest. There are truck wrecks, encounters with wild animals, and Kade also leads a team of Forest Service specialists on an assignment to Mount St. Helens on the Gifford Pinchot National Forest in Washington. Through it all, Kade never waivers in his love for his family, his love of being a Forest Ranger, and his love of the National Forests. He understands that his work is sometimes dangerous, often challenging, and always fun and interesting. "That’s life as a “ranger,” Kade says. This book will take you through a series of adventures that many dream about, but very few ever experience. Written for the Teenage/Young Adult audience. Buy on Amazon

Your…..Wayne National Forest, Vol.III

Historical newspaper columns from the author's weekly writings in 1987, 1988, 1989, and 1990, which covered outdoor, natural resource, and national forest related topics. These columns appeared in various southeastern Ohio newspapers, including The Marietta Times, The Monroe County Beacon, The Logan Daily News, and others. Buy on Amazon

Your…..Wayne National Forest, Vol.II

Selected historical newspaper columns from the author's weekly writings in 1983, 1984, 1985, and 1986, which covered outdoor, natural resource, and national forest related topics. These columns appeared in various southeastern Ohio newspapers, including The Marietta Times, The Monroe County Beacon, The Logan Daily News, and others. Buy on Amazon

Your…..Chattahoochee National Forest

The author's newspaper columns from 1978-80. Topics include natural resources, Chattahoochee National Forest, and related outdoor themes. Buy on Amazon

The Penicillin Kids

Author Dan Kincaid was a member of the 1966 West Virginia Class AA state basketball championship team at Huntington Vinson High School. He uses newspaper accounts; scorebooks; statistical records; and personal recollections of the players and coaches to capture the essence of that memorable season, when the "Penicillin Kids" won the school's first state basketball title. Buy on Amazon

A Gift to The Nation

In 1987 one of the smallest National Forests in the country, located in the midst of the hardwood forests of southeastern Ohio, was selected to provide the Christmas tree, a Norway spruce, for our nation’s Capitol in Washington, D.C. This book details how the Wayne National Forest came to receive that honor and how a small, dedicated group of Forest Service employees, as well as local organizations, agencies, schools, businesses, and citizens rallied around the project to make it one of the most successful in the history of the program. By tying-in the event to the Bicentennial celebrations of the nationally significant Northwest Ordinance and the settlement of the historic City of Marietta, Ohio, the festivities garnered not only local, but state, regional, and national attention. Buy on Amazon