Michael Embry spent more than 30 years as an award-winning journalist, working for Kentucky newspapers in Madisonville and Lexington; a national news service with stops in New York, Milwaukee, Lexington, and Louisville; and as editor of Kentucky Monthly magazine. He is now a full-time writer and his latest novel, "Cradle of Conflict," was published Dec. 1, 2023. It is the sixth installment in the John Ross Boomer Lit series, the sequel to "Reunion of Familiar Strangers." The first book in the series is "Old Ways and New Days (a new cover!)," followed by *Darkness Beyond the Light," "New Horizons" and "Make Room for Family." "Old Ways and New Days" was a finalist in the EPIC fiction of the year in 2016. He is currently working on the second volume of short stories, targeted for publication in 2024. A short story was recently included in the "From Pen to Paper" anthology, published in October 2019. Embry graduated from Eastern Kentucky University with a journalism degree. He also has 45 hours of graduate work in special education. He has written three non-fiction sports books (as Mike Embry), 11 novels, and a short-story collection. His novels include two for young adults, "The Bully List" and "Shooting Star;" a murder mystery, "A Confidential Man;" and contemporary mainstream "Foolish Is The Heart," "A Long Highway," and "The Touch." His short-story collection, "Laments," is available on Kindle for 99 cents. The John Ross Boomer Lit series are mainstream coming-of-OLD-age novels about a recently retired sports editor who discovers changes in his life and that he must change some of his ways of doing things. If you order and read it, please leave a rating and review (hey, do that for every author you read. We appreciate it!) Embry, who is listed in Who's Who in America, has served as a judge in the Kentucky Literary Awards competition. He is also a former member of the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association and U.S. Basketball Writers Association. He served as marketing chair on the executive board of the Kentucky Book Fair for six years. He's an advocate for libraries and is a member of Friends of Kentucky Libraries and Authors for Libraries. He is co-founder of Bluegrass Writers Coalition. Embry lives with his wife, Mary, and Chorkie dog, Belle, in Frankfort, Ky.