Photo by Sydney Cromwell
Author Bill Kelly holds his most recent novel, “Kathleen,” in front of O’Henry’s Coffee in downtown Homewood.
Bill Kelly has taught native children in Alaska and overseen construction sites in Chile. Now, the 86-year-old Homewood resident is working on publishing his sixth book.
Kelly had a variety of careers before he retired, including seminary school, construction training and military service from 1963 to 1967. He has lived in several states, as well as in Europe. The standard author’s advice to “write what you know” gives him quite a lot of experience to draw from.
“I’ve led a different life,” he said.
Kelly said his writing started out small, working on weekly church newsletters while in his religious career. He frequently wrote about how to educate children in religion.
After he retired at age 64, Kelly said he first tried painting and was able to sell many of his works for around $40 each. But after a while, painting wasn’t satisfying his creative side.
He put down his paintbrush for a pen and published his first book, “Buck’s War,” in 2005. The book focused on a pilot shot down in the Pacific during World War II, and his attempt to make it back home. Kelly said having visited WWII sites while stationed in Germany, including the concentration camp at Dachau, made an impression on him.
Kelly followed his first book with “Dangerous Passage” in 2010, “Passport to Danger” in 2013 and “In for a Dime” in 2015. His second and third books also are set during World War II, while his fourth is about a runaway woman who turns to a man for help because he reminds her of her grandfather. His most recent is “Kathleen,” which was published in 2017.
It was a new writing experience for him, as “Kathleen” was the first book to feature a female protagonist. In fact, he hesitated for a while to write it because he wasn’t sure he could provide an authentic voice for the story.
The finished product, he said, is probably his best work yet. Like many authors, however, Kelly said he can always spot things he would change in his books.
“I like ‘Kathleen.’ It’s my best so far. I learned on all the others, I think,” Kelly said.
The book’s title character shares a name with his aunt and a few details resemble parts of her life story, including an unfortunate experience with the abuse that can come from power of attorney. Kelly said “Kathleen” is mostly fictional, but he finished the book partly in honor of her.
“Kathleen” is set in Homewood, and Kelly said he included details such as local roads and the Senior Center in his settings. Since his main character worked as a crossing guard — like his aunt in real life — Kelly said he spent a couple days at Hall-Kent Elementary to see how crossing guards do their job.
Kelly said he writes nearly every day for several hours at a time. When he sent his very first story draft to his sister to read, she said his characters were “cardboard,” but over time he has improved at creating compelling stories and lifelike characters.
His next book is already done. Kelly said this is another one built from his own life experiences as a director of training for the city of Houston, and the story will include themes of corruption based on some of what he witnessed in that role.
Kelly’s books are available at Little Professor Bookstore and Prime Time Treasures in Homewood, as well as on Amazon. Learn more about his work at williamfkelly.com.
