About the Book
In ThunderCloud (The Oddities of One Man's Journey to Manhood) an excommunicated teen's struggle to survive in a world of strangers, some good and some bad, mirrors our own challenges in many ways. ThunderCloud's adventures force him to confront his inner demons, real and imaginary, which have lead him to his lonely situation. What he discovers inside, changes his whole outlook on his past, present and future, as the oddities of people, cultures, generations, fantasies, and circumstances shape the way he relates to others; how to live and work within groups; and how to understand that every condition of his life is his personal responsibility. Whether or not his tribe accepts his return, accompanied by a motley gaggle of people and myriad stories to tell, is the final question! * * * About the Cover Artist: Zhou Shu Liang was born in China and raised in a family of artists. He studied at the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing and Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts in Guangzhou. Liang furthered his art study in the United States in 1982. He earned his BFA in painting at Massachusetts College of Arts in 1986 and his MFA in Painting at Boston University in 1989. Liang received his great inspiration in this country while studying and painting the Wampanoag Indian culture at the outdoor Museum in Plymouth, Massachusetts. This newfound interest fired his imagination, and he began to focus his painting primarily on Native American Indian cultures and their traditional ways of life. Liang's obvious passion for the Indians as a people, coupled with his emphasis on historical accuracy, adds strength and truth to his portrayals. Among the many awards Liang has received are: The David P. Usher Patrons' Choice Award, Master of the American West, 2009; the President's Award for Excellence, Oil Painters of America, 2005; Best of Show Award and People's Choice Award, the American Society of Portrait Artists, 1998; the Arthur Ross Award for Painting, Classical America, New York, 1992; and the Lila Acheson Award for Painting, the Society of American Illustrators, 1986. Liang is represented by Trailside Galleries in Jackson, Wyoming and Scottsdale, Arizona.
About the Author :
Internationally published author, biographer and poet Ronald Joseph Kule, born in Bogota, Colombia, and the son of an American father and Chilean/Colombian mother, began writing at age six. He performed lead roles in grade-school musicals, before discovering classic books and biographies. Later, forced out of the house to play team sports, he pitched in Little League, ran cross-country and quarterbacked his high-school football team. Kule attended Oakland University in Michigan and then pursued applied-philosophy and multi-cultural studies in Manhattan, where he worked as a professional model. In Los Angeles, he trained at the L.A. Academy of Dramatic Arts and learned fine-art drawing and painting at Mission Renaissance Art Academy, while supporting his aspirations with a 39-year international sales/sales-management career that led directly to publication of an acclaimed sales-training book, SELL BETTER, SELL EASIER, SELL ANYTHING ARTFULLY. (The Italian edition is COME VENDERE MEGLIO, PIU VELOCEMENTE E FACILMENTE.) Kule co-authored with J. David Miller, CAROLINA BASEBALL: PRESSURE MAKES DIAMONDS, foreword by three-time, NCAA Baseball Coach of the Year, Ray Tanner; followed by the eBook PRESSURE MAKES DIAMONDS A TIMELESS TALE OF AMERICA'S GREATEST PASTIME and POETIC JUSTICE. He also wrote CAROLINA BASEBALL 2012. Kule's poetry credits include entries in several anthologies, as well as two self-published e-Books: ROMANCE & SENSUALITY VOLUME ONE OF A SERIES OF POETRY COLLECTIONS KNOWN AS HAIKULISMS, and JAZZ POETRY VOLUME TWO... of the same series available on Amazon.com (eBooks only) Kule's five-star, CHEF TELL, THE BIOGRAPHY OF AMERICA'S PIONEER TV SHOWMAN CHEF, forewords by TV hosts Regis Philbin and Chef Walter Staib, is published by Skyhorse Publishing (NYC). In 2013, Kule released LISTEN MORE SELL MORE, the acclaimed first volume of a three-book series of sales book/training courses, prologue by international corporate consultant Arte Maren. The series is designed for in-house corporate training and self-study. The second volume is slated for release April, 2017. In April 2015, KuleBooks LLC released Kule's mystery-romance novel RUINED BY MURDER ADDICTED TO LOVE; in 2016, they released his magical-realism novel THUNDERCLOUD (the Oddities of a Young Man's Journey to Manhood). Author Ronald Joseph Kule moonlights as a ghostwriter and lives and works in Clearwater, Florida.
