Boy Scout Novel Published

CLARION — "Write about what you know" is advice often given to first time authors. Hank Hufnagel of Clarion has heeded that advice and written an adventure novel called Buck's Loot. It is about Boy Scouts on a campout, Clarion's Autumn Leaf Festival, and the lost treasure of Boston Buck, Clarion County’s most famous outlaw.

"The parts about the Boys Scouts were the easiest," said Hufnagel. "I was Scoutmaster of the local troop for half a dozen years and probably went on 40 campouts during that time. I used to write columns for the Clarion News about our adventures, so the woodsy parts of the novel weren't too hard once I had the plot figured out.

"The Autumn Leaf Festival parts were a little more complicated. I wanted the novel to begin just before the festival and to include scenes set at Autorama, the fire truck rides, the carnival, Farmers and Crafters, and the parade. I also wanted to say something about how the festival got started and grew over the years. I was a kid when the festival began and have probably been in town for 35 ALF parades, but they do run together after a while, and so I spent some time rummaging through old newspapers and talking to old-timers to make sure I got the story straight. The fire truck rides also figure in part of the story and so I got former fire chief Clay Williams to give me a tour of the fire hall and explain just how things work down there. It was very interesting.

"The parts about Boston Buck were the hardest, since the man died in 1896. Edward Reighard, author of The Clarion County Horsethieves, was a lot of help though, and I visited Buck's old haunts and talked with people out that way who still tell stories about him. The newspapers from 1885 were also very useful, and after a while I began to feel like I knew the old scoundrel."

It took Hufnagel about 8 months to write Buck's Loot and in the course of doing so he also got advice from a judge, a medical doctor, a local coin dealer, and many other people whose knowledge would help the finished work ring true. The final step was to have a dozen people read the novel for errors of grammar, punctuation, and fact.

"I have never written anything so long in my life," said Hufnagel, "but once started, I just plowed along for three hours each night until I got to the end. I think preparing a detailed plot in advance really helped me to do that.

"Writing the first couple of drafts was very enjoyable. By the sixth reading I was fading a little though, and I was a happy man the day I finally packed the thing off to the printer."

When asked if he thought the finished novel was worth reading, Hufnagel laughed, "The proofreaders kept reporting back that they had trouble doing their job because they got caught up in the plot, and I take that as a good sign. I liked the book just fine the first four times I read it, but I look forward to hearing the reactions of a wider audience."

Buck's Loot is available for $13.95 plus tax at the Clarion County Chamber of Commerce, the Clarion County Historical Society, Kate's Frame & Art Gallery, and the Book Nook. The book is also available from Amazon on the Internet.