Cover Reveal!

A new Ballpark Mysteries book is coming SOON!

You’re the first to know!

My new Ballpark Mysteries book, Satchel’s Stolen Strike, will go on sale on May 15th. Satchel’s Stolen Strike is different from my other Ballpark Mysteries books. Instead of taking place at a Major League stadium, it takes place in a minor-league ballpark in Birmingham, Alabama!

A Ballpark Mysteries Book Set in Birmingham?
Yes! Satchel’s Stolen Strike is a unique Ballpark Mysteries book since it doesn’t take place at a Major League stadium. Instead, it occurs during a Major League event at minor-league ballpark. This June, Major League Baseball is hosting MLB at Rickwood Field: A Tribute to the Negro Leagues with a special baseball game between the San Francisco Giants and the St. Louis Cardinals.

My new book, Satchel’s Stolen Strike, takes place at this upcoming event, with Mike and Kate heading to Birmingham for the Negro Leagues MLB event. The event and a big MLB game take place at Rickwood Field, the oldest professional ballpark. After an important Satchel Paige baseball gets stolen, the MLB celebration may be cut short unless Kate and Mike can find the thief and locate the priceless baseball.

Satchel’s Stolen Strike also includes additional information about the Negro Leagues and famous Negro Leagues players like Willie Mays and Satchel Paige, as well as Rickwood Field.

Buying a copy of Satchel’s Stolen Strike
Exciting news–you don’t have to wait long to dive into this new mystery! Satchel’s Stolen Strike goes on sale in less than a week–Wednesday, May 15. It will initially be available on Amazon and shortly after in local bookstores, BN.com, and other locations.

If you want a paperback version of Satchel’s Stolen Strike, you can place an order on Amazon for it on May 15, and it should arrive in a few days (or sooner). Local bookstores and Barnes and Noble will have access to the book a few days later, due to production schedules.

If you want an eBook version, you can place a pre-order before May 15th and get the book immediately on May 15. Click here to  pre-order the eBook of Satchel’s Stolen Strike.

(I’m also hoping to have an audible version available at release or shortly after—these books are great for summer car trips! More news on that shortly.)

Keep reading! More Ballpark Mysteries are on the way….

Holidays and birthdays are great times to connect young readers with new books or their favorite authors. That’s why author David A. Kelly is now offering a range of special holiday gifts for readers.

• Signed books. Purchase personalized and signed books by David A. Kelly.
  
• New audio books. Great for holiday car rides! Purchase the new audio books for The Two-Minute Warning, The Black Cat Change-Up, and Babe Ruth and the Baseball Curse (a non-fiction chapter book). And for football fans, The Football Fumble is now available!
  
• Personal video “shout out.” David A. Kelly will record a short video “shout out” to fans or readers for a holiday gift, birthday gift, or any other occasion. $25
  
• Personal virtual visit/writing workshop. Meet virtually (via Zoom, Google Meet, etc.) one-on-one with Ballpark Mysteries author David A. Kelly. Visits are up to 30 minutes long. David A. Kelly can discuss how he writes the Ballpark Mysteries books, answer questions, or talk about writing and publishing. He’s also happy to provide guidance, feedback, or mystery writing tips for young writers. $50
  
  • Add a video shout out. Personal virtual visit above with personal shout out included. $75 in total
    
  • Add a video shout out, signed book, and downloadable poster. Personal virtual visit above with personal shout out included, along with your choice of personally-signed Ballpark Mysteries book and a downloadable Mike and Kate Ballpark Mysteries poster. $100 in total
    
• Gift school visit. Purchase a prepaid virtual school author visit with David A. Kelly for your favorite teacher or school! Visit date and time can be coordinated afterwards at mutually convenient times and dates. $100 holiday rate
  
• Name a character. Ever wanted to be in a book? You can! Contact David A. Kelly for information on how you might become a character in one of his upcoming Ballpark Mysteries. Football Mysteries, or Mike and Kate Mysteries books! Priceless (but starts at $250, depending on the character)
  
• David A. Kelly Insiders Club. Want to go behind the scenes of the Ballpark Mysteries? Contact David A. Kelly for information on his upcoming Insiders Club. Includes a monthly short newsletter, quarterly virtual Q&A sessions where subscribers interact with David A. Kelly, and occasional work-in-progress chapters (that will probably change!). Subscribers also get pre-release copies of new books (at least one per year) before books are available to the general public.

Sometimes there’s more to the story than we realize at first. What if kids could learn about events like the Apollo Moon missions that happened long ago, but then find something new in them? That idea was the launching point for my latest book, Tee Time on the Moon: How Astronaut Alan Shepard Played Lunar Golf.

Read more about turning history into discovery in my latest article for the Nerdy Book Club.

Now’s your chance to enter to win one of ten FREE copies of my brand-new picture book, TEE TIME ON THE MOON! Tee Time on the Moon tells the story-behind-the-story of Apollo 14 astronaut Alan Shepard playing golf on the moon! Enter the TEE TIME ON THE MOON Goodreads giveaway for a chance at a free copy!

Dive right into Mike and Kate’s latest baseball mystery adventure with this free sample chapter from The Black Cat Change-Up! But watch out for the ghost!

Just click on the page below for your free Black Cat Change-Up sample chapter!

I’m pleased to announce the release of The Black Cat Change-Up, the latest Ballpark Mysteries book.

The Black Cat Change-Up is the 19th team book in the Ballpark Mysteries series and finds Mike and Kate trying to stop the ghost of a black cat from a famous 1969 game from haunting an important Mets/Cubs ball game! Will they solve the spooky situation before it brings down the Mets?

The Black Cat Change-Up is ideal for girls and boys in elementary school who love mystery, adventure, real-life situations, or sports. Like my other Ballpark Mysteries books, it includes some fun facts in the Dugout Notes section at the back of the book (did you know that the Mets stadium is the only one without yellow foul poles? Instead, the Mets have orange foul-poles!).

You can pick up The Black Cat Change-Up at local bookstores (ISBN 978-1959378006) or online at Amazon. Order your copy of The Black Cat Change-Up today.

The book is available in paperback, hardcover, ebook, (and coming soon) audio book forms.

My Ballpark Mysteries books a great for elementary readers looking for mystery and adventure (or baseball!), but what do you do when you’ve finished them all? Don’t worry–here’s are five great chapter book series that are perfect for young readers who love mystery and adventure!

And if those books don’t keep your reader busy, I can also recommend this great list of graphic novels from Shepard.com.