About Legend Keepers
A debut middle grade novel by wildlife biologist and award-winning science writer, Bruce L. Smith In a perilous place at the roof of the world, an orphaned mountain goat is rescued from certain death by a mysterious raven. Communication between a mountain goat and raven might seem strange. But what becomes more unreachable is Buddy’s realization that she alone can save a band of goats from the great danger foretold in an ancient legend. This brilliant tale with a clever mix of discovery will spark the intellectual curiosity of every reader.
Metamorphosis Literary Agency
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Author Bio:
Bruce Smith is a wildlife biologist and science writer. He spent most of his 30-year federal career managing wildlife populations on the Wind River Indian Reservation and the National Elk Refuge in Wyoming. His research has produced over 40 technical and popular papers and book chapters focused primarily on large mammal population ecology, diseases, migratory behavior, and predator-prey relationships.
After a combat tour with the US Marines in Vietnam, Bruce earned B.S. and M.S. degrees from the University of Montana. His Master’s research focused on winter ecology of mountain goats in Montana’s Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness Area. Half-way through his government career, he investigated population regulation of the Jackson elk herd in Wyoming for his doctorate degree from the University of Wyoming.
His first book, Imperfect Pasture (2004), records changes in the ecology of the National Elk Refuge during its 100-year history. Wildlife on the Wind (2010) is based on his four years working with the Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho Indian tribes. At their request, he catalogued the status of the reservation’s diverse wildlife and helped foster a landmark recovery of elk, deer, moose, bighorn sheep, and pronghorn antelope. Where Elk Roam (2011) chronicles his 22 years studying and managing Jackson Hole’s famous migratory elk herd. Life on the Rocks (2014) portrays in words and photographs the natural history and conservation challenges of the mountain goat throughout its North American range. His latest nonfiction book, Stories from Afield, is a collection of outdoor adventure stories.
His first novel, written for middle-grade readers, was released August 2021. The heroine of this adventure at the roof of the world is an orphaned mountain goat. Legend Keepers: The Chosen One is a story of hope, perseverance, finding one’s purpose, and triumph.
After leaving the US Fish and Wildlife Service in 2004, Bruce and his wife Diana moved to southwest Montana where he continues his conservation work and writing.