Brad McLelland

co-author of "Legends of the Lost Causes," "The Fang of Bonfire Crossing" and "Fire and Emergency Services Instructor" 9th edition

December 11, 2018

Born and raised in Arkansas, Brad McLelland spent several years working as a crime journalist in the South before earning his Master of Fine Arts in creative writing from Oklahoma State University. In 2016 Brad and his writing partner, Louis Sylvester of Lewiston, Idaho, sold their four-book Western Fantasy middle-grade series to the Macmillan Children's imprint, Henry Holt for Young Readers. The first book in the series, “Legends of the Lost Causes,” was published in 2018 and became a Junior Library Guild selection. The second book, “The Fang of Bonfire Crossing,” arrives in bookstores on February 19, 2019. Brad lives in Oklahoma with his wife Alisha, who teaches fourth grade, and his stepdaughter Chloe, who knows all forms of magic.

A band of orphan avengers. A cursed stone. A horde of zombie outlaws. This is Keech Blackwood’s new life in “Legends of the Lost Causes” after Bad Whiskey Nelson descends upon the Home for Lost Causes and burns it to the ground. With his home destroyed and his family lost, Keech will have to use the lessons he learned from Pa Abner to hunt down the powerful Char Stone. Luckily, he has the help of a ragtag team of orphans. Together, they’ll travel through treacherous forests, fight off the risen dead, and discover that they share mysterious bonds as they search for the legendary stone. Now it’s a race against the clock, because if Bad Whiskey finds the stone first…all is lost. But Keech and the other orphans won’t hesitate. Because they’re more than just heroes. They’re Lost Causes.

“The Fang of Bonfire Crossing” sees Keech Blackwood and his band of fellow orphans demand justice for their fallen families, but the road to retribution is a long and hard-fought journey. After defeating Bad Whiskey Nelson, the man who burned Keech’s home to the ground, the Lost Causes have a new mission: find Bonfire Crossing, the mysterious land that holds clues to the whereabouts of the all-powerful Char Stone. Along the way they’ll have to fend off a shapeshifting beast, a swarm of river monsters, and a fearsome desperado named Big Ben Loving who conjures tornadoes out of thin air. It’s an epic standoff between the Lost Causes and the outlaw Reverend Rose, a powerful sorcerer who would be unstoppable with the Stone in his possession. With the world—and vengeance—hanging in the balance, the Lost Causes are ready for battle.

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URL: https://library-dep.okstate.edu/news/celebratingbooks/2019-honorees/brad-mclelland

Last Updated: 14 February 2019