Ricky Adventure Books

There is an app for Ricky!

2011-12-17T16:02:00.000-08:00

I cannot believe it has been year since I posted a blog! Unfortunately I have not written the next Ricky Book. I have outlined the next three but I have been spending all of my time writing curriculum for an online Geometry class that I teach.

But I had to blog some exciting news! Today, my fifth book, Ricky’s Colorado Christmas, has become an app for the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad!!! For just 99₵ this app will let you read the book or a narrator will read it to you. It is the entire book with all of its great illustrations. At the end it even has a matching game with many of the illustrations from the book. I believe all 5 of my books should be apps but they got the Christmas one out just in time!

Just go to where you purchase your apps and search for "Ricky's Colorado Christmas" from StoryChimes. If you like it, give it a great rating and then tell a friend!

May the holidays bring you
Lots of good cheer!
Have a wonderful Christmas
And an awesome New Year!

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-11T10:32:00.000-08:00

Ricky's Colorado Christmas

This has been a super crazy busy time of year for me. After I got done coaching soccer, I became a big fan of my daughter’s middle school basketball team. Now that her season is over, I have a few moments to catch my breath. Of course I am still teaching and we are coming up on finals week so I will be busy once again. But I did manage to find a little time (and with a lot of help from Norm Sooy) to get my website back in working order. Norm helped me get my newest book posted just in time for Christmas.

I am hoping to do a few of the things mentioned in the new book. I really love visiting the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo to see all the lights. Many animals are more active when it gets dark.
I have never been to the Yule Log hunt in Palmer Lake. If I don’t make it this year, I’ll try even harder to get there next year.

I do hope you all have an amazing Christmas this year. Spend time with family and friends. When you receive a Christmas card, think about the sender for a little while. Remember why that person, or family, is special to you. Think about how you met. Be sure to call or send a Christmas card in return.
On that note, I need to stop blogging and get my Christmas letter written. And in true Ricky fashion, it is written in rhyme. Here is how it ends...

May the holidays bring you

Lots of good cheer!

Have a wonderful Christmas

And an awesome New Year!

Merry Christmas from Ricky!

RICKY GEAR IS HERE!!!

2010-07-06T19:08:00.000-07:00

Ricky Adventure Books is trying something new. T-shirts, sweatshirts, and hoodies are now available for adults and kids! The plan is to create a themed shirt for every book, and a few extra surprises! I just created the shop today through Spreadshirt. Just use the link http://316389.spreadshirt.com/ to view all that is currently available. Now you can read your Ricky books while wearing a Ricky shirt.
Once you get your shirt, put it on, take a picture, send it to jeff.keller@RickyAdventureBooks.com and I'll post the picture here and on the Fans of Ricky page on FACEBOOK.

Coming soon!!!!

2010-06-09T17:32:00.000-07:00

Ricky’s Colorado Christmas is now in the hands of my publisher. The illustrations and text are now at Mother’s House Publishing. I now wait for Jackie to put it all together and get me the proof copy. Once I approve that, Ricky’s Colorado Christmas will be available. I am hoping for a “Christmas in July!”

This is the first Ricky book that is not an adventure book. Ricky visits many locations and does many traditional holiday traditions. Here is a sneak peak of one of the pages:

A trip to Santa’s Workshop

At the foot of Pikes Peak.

We’ll go on all the rides

And to Santa we’ll speak.

It’s an amusement park

For the young and old.

And before we leave

We’ll hug the frozen North Pole!

I will keep you all posted as to the status of this book. For now, I will start writing Ricky Snowshoes in Mueller State Park. Until then, have a great summer and Merry Christmas!

We Finally Ordered a Trailer!

2010-03-25T20:10:00.000-07:00

Yes, that’s right, we shopped around and finally decided on the best pop-up trailer for our family. We are having a trailer built for us. We got a Forest River Rockwood Freedom. We bought from Sun City Trailers in southern Colorado Springs. I only post the name of the company because the family that owns it was very friendly and found us the camper we wanted. They are close to Powers and Platte.

Why this trailer? We have three children that are growing. We need to upgrade to a new camper and we needed one that had 4 beds (so we could give the kids their own bed if needed). We chose one without the indoor shower/toilet. We may not camp in a tent but we have to draw the line somewhere. It does have hot water with an outdoor shower if needed. The front of the trailer has a ledge for storage. We will probably attach some of the bikes to this since we cannot fit 5 bikes on the car and tow a trailer.

The pop-up we used for the illustrations in Ricky Camps in Rocky Mountain National Park was generic. I wonder if Forest River would pay me money to use one of theirs in the book?!?! Ha! That reminds me, one of the questions that has come up regarding that book is the fact that some illustrations have a tent and others the trailer. Well here is the reason that somehow ended up not being in any of the text. Ricky and his family stayed in the trailer while Ricky’s friend, Annie, stayed in the tent. Unfortunately this was in my mind when I wrote the book but never wrote it out. I guess I just assumed that it was clear. Never assume.

We should get our new trailer in May. Now I need to clean out the old trailer and get it ready to sell. Plus we need to decide what we need to put in the new camper. Not everything that is currently in the trailer will go in the new one. We have a small grill that is no longer needed. The new trailer has an outside “RVQue” that connects to the propane on the camper. Most of the time we cook on the fire but sometimes a small grill becomes necessary when weather prevents the start of a fire.

Well I seem to have rambled about the new trailer and haven’t said much about writing. I already wrote a camping book. Maybe Ricky needs to return to Rocky Mountain National Park and see more of the park. In the camping book, he really didn’t venture out to see everything in the park. Every summer camp at Mueller State Park a couple of times. That is actually the location of my next book, Ricky Snowshoes in Mueller State Park. That will be my first winter adventure. My first non-adventure book is in its finishing stages. Ricky’s Colorado Christmas will be ready for proof copy soon. I think I’ll have to have a “Christmas in July” to promote the new book.

I will close this blog with wishes of a mild spring (no more snow) and an amazing summer. We are trying to branch out and camp in new places. Please comment on this blog of any great places you have camped in Colorado. Ricky would love to hear your stories!

What Kind of Trailer Do We Need?

2010-02-15T11:25:00.000-08:00

This weekend was a very busy one, but not for writing. Our 1987 Coleman Sequoia popup trailer is on its last leg (or wheel?). Well, I am not willing to put the amount of money into it that is needed for it to be in better condition. So my wife and I started to shop around for trailers. We really don’t need all the special features that some of the trailers come with. And with a V6 Toyota Highlander, we don’t need a 5000lb brick on wheels to tow.

We looked at Colemans and liked the Cheyenne. We also saw a Forest River Rockwood Freedom that was nice. With our kids getting bigger, we’d like to give them their own beds. We don’t need the indoor shower or toilet, we don’t need a hotel on wheels (We do like “roughing-it” a little bit). So now we have to compare pros and cons and look at finances. I’ll keep you posted on what trailer we end up getting.

With a possible new trailer purchase, we have also started to look at the summer for camping locations. We always camp at Mueller State Park so we want to branch out to see other campgrounds in the state. We love camping in the trees away from big cities. I am an outdoors guy so I don’t really like camping where they have mini-golf and swimming pools. I’d rather have an out of the way place where the family can go on a hike and see and hear nature. It is nice to camp where you can get electricity and water. With a new trailer, maybe the battery will work and we can escape electricity for a while.

So this summer, hopefully Ricky will have some great camping adventures to share! Of course fires are a necessity because camping without S’mores just isn’t camping.

Ricky has a very busy year planned!

2010-01-30T18:52:00.001-08:00

I have finally finished the text for Ricky’s Colorado Christmas. My writers group will be giving me feedback and then it will go through final edits. I am awaiting a few more illustrations and then I will send it to the publisher. Whew!

I have outlined Ricky Bikes the Front Range. This book will take Ricky on a bike ride from Palmer Lake, Colorado down to America the Beautiful Park in downtown Colorado Springs. As with all Ricky books, this one will describe all the sights on this 23-mile ride. I think I need to start riding my bike again on the nice warm Colorado days. In a few weeks, track season starts in the high schools so a large part of my schedule will be filled with coaching and attending track meets on the weekends. It is way too easy to make excuses for not writing… with that said, I will schedule writing time just as I can find time to watch my favorite television shows. Decide what is important in your life and make those things your priorities. I know, easier said than done. I should practice what I preach! Not to mention that I plan on getting my first winter adventure book, Ricky Snowshoes in Mueller State Park, done by the end of this year.

One of my biggest goals of the year is to continue to update this blog and keep you informed of what is going on with Ricky. I would now like to tell you a little story about how the original Pikes Peak book went through some major changes before it became the book it is today.
Ricky Climbs Pikes Peak was originally written as a story about four kids who hiked up Pikes Peak and back down. I had four kids of different nationalities. Two boys and two girls went on this hike. When I started working with a publisher, we had a long brainstorming session. In this session, it was discussed how unwise it would be to send four 12-year-olds on a 26 mile hike without parents. So which direction would the book go? Would we add Ricky’s parents to the story? Would we make the story about a group of teenagers who hike together? Since my desire was to write for early elementary kids, I needed to make it a story they could relate to and enjoy. It was very difficult to cut two of the characters. Ricky and Annie stayed in the book. I wanted a boy and a girl to participate in many Colorado outdoor adventures. I wanted both boys and girls to enjoy the story. We decided that an older sister would be a great idea. Ricky’s sister Julie (my wife’s name by the way) joined the story as a responsible character who had already climbed Pikes Peak. The distance in the book also changed. The group climbed to the top of Pikes Peak and that is where they stopped, meeting Ricky’s mom at the top.
Having the book end on the top of Pikes Peak actually made the book easier to write. Once I talked about everything they saw on the way up, what was left for the trip back down? At least this way I got to talk about the world famous high altitude doughnuts. If you ever make it to the top of Pikes Peak, I highly recommend them. And what other fourteener can you buy lunch, do a little shopping, and see people who have either driven up or taken a train ride?

One final note: the fact that Ricky packed a four-pack of toilet paper is actually based on a true story. It is amazing how funny real life can be.

Happy New Year!

2010-01-20T18:30:00.000-08:00

2009 was a great year. I found my new illustrator, published a new book which got Rocky Mountain National Park approval, and almost finished the next book. Unfortunately the end of the school semester took away a large chunk of my time and I fell behind on my goal. Ricky’s Colorado Christmas ended up being placed on the backburner.
I have very ambitious goals for 2010. I will have three books completed. Now that I have put that in writing I will work hard at achieving that goal. I will finish Ricky’s Colorado Christmas soon, I’ll have Ricky Bikes the Front Range done by April, and Ricky Snowshoes in Mueller State Park done before winter. What about Twitter and this blog? Well, I plan to get at least one blog done a month. And I plan on “tweeting” (is that really a word?) periodically when I am writing or doing something writing oriented. If you want to follow me: http://twitter.com/jeffreykellerjr and I’ll try to make them interesting.
Some of my blogs this year will be stories of activities I enjoy doing in Colorado. Let me finish this blog with one such story.
Over Christmas break I took my daughters to an indoor climbing gym. It was fun to see them at their different levels. My 15-year-old did a great job of sticking to the rocks all marked for a specific route (i.e. all the rocks with the blue tags for a 5.6 route). My 11-year-old daughter only chose a few rocks labeled for a different route. My 8-year-old daughter just chose rocks that looked good.
What was nice about this outing, was teaching them the proper commands. “On belay”,” belay on”, etc. We also went with my friend Rick and his two kids. It was nice having another adult along so I could climb a little as well. It is strange how weak my arms get when I don’t climb for a long time. Nothing brings a family together like a little exercise. I am looking forward to more outdoor activities this spring and summer.
I’ll conclude with “Happy New Year” and I hope you all have an amazing 2010!

Camping at Mueller State Park

2009-11-01T15:29:00.000-08:00

Every summer, I take my family camping to Mueller State Park at least three times. One trip is just to start the summer, one with a bunch of my coworkers, and one the last weekend of September to see fall colors and celebrate my middle daughter’s birthday.
We always camp in our Coleman tent trailer. We were given this camper about 5 years ago. It is old and falling apart but we love it. When I sell my millionth book we’ll buy a new one. J Okay, maybe not. We don’t spend much time in the trailer. We change in it and sleep in it. Most, if not all, of the cooking is done on the fire. We eat outside as long as it is not raining too hard. We have had to set up the table inside the camper to eat a few times.
Mueller has many trails that we have hiked and biked. Now that my kids have gotten older, we have been able to go on longer hikes in the park. They even carry their own backpacks and water now. We like the short hikes to overlooks or water. We even have a traditional hike that is only .2 miles. Peak View Pond has many Salamanders in the larval stage swimming in the water in the summer. My kids also like to watch the blue dragonflies dancing from plant to plant. Around the pond, many ground squirrels like to run around, over, and through holes in the rocks.
At night, after we have cooked dinner, the kids take turns washing any dishes we have used. We then sit around the fire waiting for perfect embers. This means only one thing…S’mores! After we have roasted a few marshmallows and eaten a few S’mores, we add wood to the fire and get ready to stay warm. After the sun sets, it is fun to stare up at the sky and watch the stars come out. We also watch for satellites. We were fortunate in our September trip. Just as the sun went down, the Space Station came over us. It was so bright and we watched it slowly sail across the sky. Earlier in the summer my wife and I saw a shooting star. We sometimes get out glow sticks for the kids to play with so they can leave the campsite and play in the trees. It is nice to be able to see where they are. They also like to eat Spearmint Lifesavers. If you bite them in the dark, you can see sparks.
It was nice writing Ricky Camps in Rocky Mountain National Park. I got to share many of the reasons I enjoy camping. Why didn’t I choose Mueller for the camping book? I have already outlined Ricky Snowshoes in Mueller State Park. This will be my first winter adventure. As the last of the leaves fall off of the trees in my yard, I realize that winter we be here soon. I must get back to writing. I hope to have Ricky’s Colorado Christmas out this year. Have a wonderful holiday season!

Author Fest of the Rockies 2009

2009-09-12T15:03:00.000-07:00

Classes have begun. Soccer season is in full swing. My time for writing would completely be gone if I didn’t force myself to schedule some time. What helped me to find time to write, see my friends blog at http://getanythingdone.wordpress.com/.
First I have a few updates. 1) Ricky Camps in Rocky Mountain National Park will have a second edition. The Chief of Interpretation and Education of Rocky Mountain National Park reviewed the book and said he was interested in selling in if I made a few changes. The changes are minor, and after I finish this blog I will make those changes and get them to the publisher. 2) I am continuing to work on Ricky’s Colorado Christmas. The goal is to have it written, edited, and all illustrations done by Halloween. I am not sure how realistic that goal is right now. But I need to get it to the publisher with enough time to have it ready by Thanksgiving for the Christmas sales. The wonderful busy life of a teacher, coach, father, husband, writer, etc.
October 2 and 3, 2009, I will be presenting at the fourth annual Author Fest of the Rockies. This writer/reader conference is held at the Cliff House in Manitou Springs. I get the honor of talking with kindergarten and first grade students about writing. Then the second day my writer’s group will have a panel presentation on the importance of have a writer’s group to be a successful writer. If you are interested in learning more, please go to http://www.authorfestoftherockies.org/.
As I write this blog, the temperature outside is in the low 50’s and I start thinking about how the leaves will soon fall, Halloween will soon arrive. Then we reach a time when my family gets together for a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner. And then my favorite season of all… Christmas season. The cool temperatures we have right now, along with some Christmas songs I listen to from my computer, will help me complete the next Ricky book. It is funny how a few early elementary kids continue to ask me when the next book is coming out and why it takes me so long to write them.
Enjoy the beginning of fall! In two week I will take my final camping trip of 2009. The annual “fall colors” camping trip in Mueller State Park is a beautiful trip that our family always enjoys.

Time to help Ricky along with a corrected journey, a holiday book, and then a bicycle trip! Ricky wishes you all many happy adventures with your families.

Back to School

2009-08-23T10:53:00.000-07:00

Well the 2009-2010 school year is under way. There are a few changes in my schedule that I look forward to. I will be working with teachers on ways to use technology more in their teaching and I will be teaching an online class. I will really have to focus and schedule some time to write this year. Not to mention maintaining my goal of updating this blog at least once a month.
This summer I did many outdoor activities and will write those up as blogs for the future. I climbed some fourteeners, took a few long bike rides (research for next summer’s Ricky book), went camping three times (enjoying the success of book 4), and rafting the Arkansas River once again.
It is hard to believe that I have started my seventeenth year teaching high school math. My how time flies. Writing tests, assignments, syllabi, and online material will take precedence over the Ricky books. But don’t worry, I will continue to work on Ricky’s Colorado Christmas. We plan to have it ready for the publisher by Halloween. This will give everyone enough time to achieve the goal of having it available by Thanksgiving. I have noticed that setting a deadline helps motivate me to reach the goal.
Because of the timing of the book releases, I have moved Ricky Bikes the Front Range to be the next adventure book to be ready by April 2010 and then Ricky Snowshoes in Mueller State Park to come out soon after that.
October 2 and 3 my writer’s group will be presenting at the Manitou Springs AuthorFest 2009. The AuthorFest is a writer/reader conference. Many Colorado authors are presenting. For more information, click here!
I thought I’d catch you all up, now I need to work on lesson plans.

Pardon the Mess

2009-08-03T11:57:00.000-07:00

With the new book out, I wanted to make my website more user friendly. But I was having difficulties getting the site to do everything I wanted it to do. So I came up with a "quick fix". Unfortunately, that made me use two different sites to accomplish everything I wanted. I had a messy site that you could click to to get to the site I liked. But then you'd have to click back to the messy site for the nice "shopping cart" I created. What a nightmare!
With the help of a friend in my writers group, who knows a heck of a lot more technology than I do, he found that blogger.com did everything I needed in my website. So here we are at the new site. I still need to put some finishing touches on it but it will be even better than before.
My goal is to continue to post blogs at least once a month. Mainly to keep my "fans" up to date on my writing progress and to share stories of my own Colorado Adventures!

What is the main goal of author Jeffrey Keller, Jr.? I want to encourage kids to get outside and enjoy everything that Colorado has to offer. Families don't need to spend a lot of money to have what my kids call "Family Fun Day."

I am often asked, "How many Ricky books are you going to write?" Most people want a definite number. Harry Potter had 7 books. The Lord of the Rings had 3 books. Colorado has so much to offer that I will continue to write Ricky books until I run out of ideas. I don't have a goal of a certain amount of books. Plus, if I run out of Colorado activities, Ricky can always visit Niagara Falls, the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, etc. Originally, I was going to call them Ricky's Colorado Adventure Books. That would limit them, plus that was a long title to use.

So the short term goal for Jeffrey Keller, Jr. is to get this site up to date. Plus I need to finish writing the fifth book, Ricky's Colorado Christmas. I am amazed at the number of local activities that happen all around the state at Christmastime! If you see me walking around humming a Christmas song, don't worry, it's just one way for me to get in the right mind set for the book. Hope you all have a very Merry Christmas! Oops, I mean go get those school supplies and get ready for a terrific year! ...

Starting a Fire with Green Wood

2009-08-02T16:02:00.000-07:00

The title really describes how Ricky Camps in Rocky Mountain National Park became a book. In 2006, my first book, Ricky Climbs Pikes Peak, was published. My illustrator and I had started working on this project in 2001. After 16 rejection letters, Mother’s House Publishing, a local publisher, was interested in the book and other Ricky books I had described. My illustrator had a “day job” and was trying to get his own business, an animation studio, up and running.

He continued to contribute illustrations to Ricky Rock Climbs in Garden of the Gods and Ricky Rafts the Royal Gorge. Unfortunately, at the completion of the rafting book, my illustrator announced that he was going to devote all of his spare time to his own business. I had already started writing Ricky Camps in Rocky Mountain National Park. Without an illustrator, this project came to a crashing stop.

My illustrator then recommended a relative of his to take over the job. She needed to learn how to use to graphics program on the computer to keep the same style. Months went by and I hadn’t received or heard anything. I finally contacted her and she did not know how to use the program but was interested in using a different style.

Because of the “touristy nature” of my books, they need to be completed and ready to sell in April. Tourist season is Memorial Day through Labor Day. Most of these places buy in April to be ready. It was now December and I had an unfinished text and no illustrations.

You never know what connections you make with people in your life. I am a high school math teacher (starting my 17th year next month). A former student of mine happened to be graduating in May with a degree in graphic design. I gave her some files from the previous books and described a cover for her to do. At this point I was desperate to find an illustrator. But how desperate? Would I lower my standards just to get a book out? How would I react if the cover wasn’t good enough? Once again I started stressing out and still couldn’t write with the uncertainties. A few days later, she stopped by with some covers. Not only did she create the cover I described, she did it four ways to see which one I liked best.

I am happy to say that Stacie did a wonderful job. I hired her on the spot! The problem was, it was January and she was headed back to college to finish her final semester. How could I demand illustrations while she had professors demanding projects for grades? She had to graduate. At least I knew that I wouldn’t be a “3-book Wonder”, I just had to be patient. Stacie would send new illustrations in the email for feedback. The long distance communication was difficult but it gave me the motivation to finish writing the book.

She returned to Colorado in May and we set a deadline of Memorial Day to have all illustrations done. We did in fact have all the text and all the illustrations done by that weekend. But my luck wouldn’t change. We met with my publisher and gave her all the files. Now I had to be patient again (something I am not very good at) and wait for the proof copy. The proof copy is a printing of the book, but it is not bound together. This is so I can check the text one more time for errors, make sure each illustration is matched with the correct text, and give any last minute changes. Unfortunately, things would not go smoothly.

The files that Stacie created for the illustrations were not cooperating with the program my publisher used to create the book. After a few phone calls and some creativity, my publisher was able to put the pictures in to the file with the text of the book. But the dark cloud remained overhead. The printer used to print the book was having issues. It was now mid-June and no book was ready.

The last week in June I received a phone call that the proof copy was ready! I immediately went to pick it up. I met with Stacie and another author in my writer’s group the next morning to go through it page by page. I made the changes to the text and had Stacie make a few changes to the illustrations for consistency and turned the proof copy back. A few days later I received an updated proof copy. I called to give one more change and then it was ready; or so I thought.

To print a book, a large piece of paper is used and four pages, front and back, are printed on each piece of paper. The new file was not cooperating. Once again I would have to wait. The printer technician finally met with my publisher and they worked out the problem. My publisher was then able to print the inside of all the books I ordered! But… the cover was not printing correctly and that caused binding issues. Once again I wait. And now my first book signing of the summer approached and misinformation in the paper caused even more problems.

July 19, 2009 I was at the Garden of the Gods visitor center to sign my first two books, the only ones they carried at the time. But the article in the paper that morning said I would be signing my newest title, Ricky Camps in Rocky Mountain National Park. Many people showed up for the new title that I did not have. I invited these people to the next signing which would be the debut of the newest book. July 28, 2009 at Pikes Perk in the Erindale Center. Would the book be ready in time?

I left for a camping trip on Wednesday July 22, 2009 and wouldn’t return until Sunday July 26, 2009, two days before the big signing. I tried not to think about it and enjoyed some relaxing time in the mountains. My publisher isn’t open on Sundays, this should be a day off anyways, so I’d have to wait another day before knowing the status of my books. I am fortunate enough to have only had three migraine headaches in my life. Well number four hit hard Sunday night. I guess I was stressing a little more than usual. Being a “control freak” is not helpful when I have to rely on so many other people.

Monday July 27, 2009, the day before the debut of book 4, I made a phone call to check the status. Finally I received some good news. All my paperbacks were ready but they were still working on the hardcovers. I picked up the paperback books I ordered and hopefully the hardcovers will be ready by 6:00 tomorrow night for the big debut.

If you are in Colorado Springs July 28, 2009, stop by Pikes Perk @ the Erindale Center (on Academy Blvd., just north of Vickers) from 6:00-8:00 PM for refreshments, coffee, and all four Ricky Adventure Book titles.

Why choose "Starting a Fire with Green Wood" as the title for this blog? If you have ever tried it, I think it is a perfect fit to the situation.

Kids!

2008-01-04T10:57:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the Kids' Page

Click on the picture to download the cover of the first book to color or click this link: ricky_cover_to_color

I presented at Grant Elementary in Colorado Springs. On the final day, one of the students gave me his colored drawing. The last day was April 24, my birthday. Here is Mike's colored picture.

Some times I get suggestions for new books from my younger Ricky fans. This was a suggestion from Ben in Texas. He would love to see Ricky go to space. Ben saw pictures of me on a Zero-G flight. He wants a book about Ricky and Ben going to the moon.

If you are interested in having your picture on Ricky's kids' page, just download, color, scan, and email to Author Jeff Keller. If you can't scan, just send an email and I can send my address for you to mail it. Have any suggestions for the page? Email those as well! Ricky loves hearing from you all.

Want to hear exciting news about Ricky? Join the Ricky Fan Club by emailing Author Jeff Keller. You will get updated information about upcoming books and changes to the webpage. Even news on when I'll be out meeting the public and talking about Ricky books.

Events

2008-01-03T10:52:00.000-08:00

Come meet Author Jeff Keller at a book talk or signing...

Author Jeff Keller speaks to kids at Manitou Springs Library

Future Events:
November 7, 2009	Pine Creek Holiday Bazaar 10750 Thunder Mountain Avenue Colorado Springs, CO 80908

Previous Events:
October 2&3, 2009	AuthorFest of the Rockies 2009
July 28, 2009 6-8 pm	http://www.pikesperkcoffee.com/ 5965 North Academy 719-522-1432
July 19, 2009 11-2	Garden of the Gods Visitor Center
March 22, 2009 2-4	Borders Chapel Hills
November 8, 2008	Pine Creek Holiday Bazaar 10750 Thunder Mountain Avenue Colorado Springs, CO 80908
October 3&4, 2008	AuthorFest of the Rockies 2008
July 22, 2008	http://manitousprings.colibraries.org/
July 19, 2008 1-4	Black Cat Books 720 Manitou Ave, Manitou Springs, CO 80829 (719) 685-1589
July 6, 2008	Royal Gorge
June 22, 2008 11-2	Garden of the Gods Visitor Center
May 25, 2008	Royal Gorge
April 21-24, 2008	Night of a Thousand Stars Grant Elementary Colorado Springs, Colorado
November 10, 2007	Pine Creek Holiday Bazaar 10750 Thunder Mountain Avenue Colorado Springs, CO 80908
October 15, 2007	Author Fest 2007 with Manitou Springs Library 701 Manitou Avenue Manitou Springs, CO 80829 (719) 685-5206
May 20, 2006	Pioneer's Museum Colorado Springs, Colorado 215 S. Tejon Street Colorado Springs, CO 80903 (719) 385-5990
June 19, 2006	KKTV News Colorado Springs
June 20, 2006	Borders Chapel Hills 1710 Briargate Boulevard, #209 Colorado Springs, CO 80920 (719) 266-1600
July 1, 2006	Black Cat Books 720 Manitou Ave, Manitou Springs, CO 80829 (719) 685-1589
July 6, 2006	Satellite Beach Public Library 751 Jamaica Blvd. Satellite Beach, FL 32937 (321) 779-4004
July 15,16,&22 2006	Pikes Peak Summit House
November 2, 2006	Author Fest 2006 with Manitou Springs Library 701 Manitou Avenue Manitou Springs, CO 80829 (719) 685-5206
November 4, 2006	Story Time at East Library 5550 North Union Blvd. Colorado Springs, CO 80918
November 11, 2006	Pine Creek Holiday Bazaar 10750 Thunder Mountain Avenue Colorado Springs, CO 80908

Books & Stuff

2008-01-02T10:49:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the Ricky Adventure Book Series. Explore the state of Colorado with Ricky as he finds adventures in the great Rocky Mountains. The following books have been published with more on the way in the future. Happy reading in Colorado!

	Ricky Climbs Pikes Peak April 2006, 36-pages Full Color Illustrations ISBN: 0-9816245-0-2 (hrd) ISBN: 0-9773990-9-5 (pbk)
Purchase Paperback Price: $8.95	Purchase Hardcover Price: $12.95

	Ricky Rock Climbs In Garden of the Gods July 2007, 37-pages Full Color Illustrations ISBN: 0-9816245-1-8 (hrd) ISBN: 0-9797144-6-X (pbk)
Purchase Paperback Price: $9.95	Purchase Hardcover Price: $13.95

	Ricky Rafts The Royal Gorge April 2008, 37-pages Full Color Illustrations ISBN: 0-9816245-2-5 (hrd) ISBN: 0-9816245-3-2 (pbk)
Purchase Paperback Price: $9.95	Purchase Hardcover Price: $13.95

	Ricky Camps In Rocky Mountain National Park July 2009, 37-pages Full Color Illustrations ISBN: 1-935086-56-1 (hrd) ISBN: 1-935086-57-X (pbk)
Purchase Paperback Price: $9.95	Purchase Hardcover Price: $13.95

	Ricky's Colorado Christmas Sept 2010, 37-pages Full Color Illustrations ISBN: 978-1-935086-78-9 (hrd) ISBN: 978-1-935086-77-2 (pbk)
Purchase Paperback Price: $9.95	Purchase Hardcover Price: $13.95

Ricky Gear is here! Click below the shirt to see what is available and how you can order!

Ricky T-shirts, sweatshirts, and hoodies!
Click to see Ricky Gear

Hey, where else can you get Ricky's Books?

From the Author:
Using a credit card or PayPal
Click to send email. Include address and book order

From the Publisher:

Mother's House Publishing2814 East Woodmen Road, Colorado Springs, CO 80920 1-800-266-0999

Local Bookstores:

Pioneer's Museum Colorado Springs, Colorado

215 S. Tejon Street Colorado Springs, CO 80903 (719) 385-5990

Black Cat Books

720 Manitou Ave, Manitou Springs, CO 80829 (719) 685-1589

Santa's Workshop

5050 Pikes Peak Highway Cascade Colorado 80809

Garden of the Gods Visitors Center

1805 N 30th Street Colorado Springs, CO 80904 (719) 634-6666

Seven Falls

2850 S. Cheyenne Canyon Road Colorado Springs, Colorado 80906

Manitou Springs Cliff Dwellings

Manitou Springs, Colorado

Cheyenne Mountain Resort3225 Broadmoor Valley Road Colorado Springs, Colorado 80906

Garden of the Gods Trading Post

Nestled at the Southwest corner of the Garden of the Gods Park

Pikes Peak Summit House

At the top of Pikes Peak

Mt.Tejon

104 N Tejon Colorado Springs, CO 80903 (719) 471-7635

Barnes & Noble Briargate1565 Briargate Blvd Colorado Springs, CO 80920 (719) 266-9960

Author

2008-01-01T10:46:00.000-08:00

Jeff Keller is a Florida native who moved to Colorado when he was 16-years-old. His first book, Ricky Climbs Pikes Peak, was published in 2006. Ricky Rock Climbs in Garden of the Gods was published in 2007. Ricky Rafts the Royal Gorgewas published April 2008. The fourth in hopefully a long series, Ricky Camps in Rocky Mountain National Park was published July 2009. He is currently working on his fifth book, Ricky's Colorado Christmas. He has spoken at the Manitou Springs Library Author Fest; Grant Elementary School's Night of a Thousand Stars(4-day presentation); the Children’s Literacy Center; the Colorado Council International Reading Association; Satellite Beach Public Library, the East Library and Information Center; Manitou Springs Elementary and Borders Bookstore. His day job is as a high school math teacher in Colorado Springs. He is married and has three daughters.