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A Whole Harvest of Iowa Authors-Ken Fuson
Journalist-turned-author Ken Fuson talks about his first book, Heading for Home, a collaboration with Kent Stock,
who coached the legendary Norway High School baseball team in its final season-and 20th state title-before school consolidation in 1991.
A movie, The Final Season, preceded the book.
How did you and Kent Stock connect?
As a boy, I’d followed the Norway team as they beat some of the largest schools in the state. When I heard that 1991 would be
their last season, I proposed following them to my boss at The Des Moines Register. That’s when I met Kent. After the movie was
made, Kent became a motivational speaker. I introduced him at one engagement. Afterward he said something to me about writing
his book. The book was published in July 2009.
You’re one of the best newspaper feature writers EVER! How did you switch to manuscript?
I’d been a newspaper reporter almost 30 years, doing pretty much the same thing. The prospect of covering another flood or
blizzard filled me with dread. I needed a new challenge.
What challenged you most about this project?
Staying focused. With most newspaper stories, I only have to worry about them a day, a week, maybe a couple of weeks at most,
unless it's a series. I lived with this for nine months, and I found it's easy to let the material control me. Eventually, I viewed every chapter like I was writing a Sunday story.
Were you writing from inside Kent’s head?
I tried to write it as if he were speaking, using some of his pet phrases. There were times when I guessed what Kent might have been
thinking based on interviews. Sometimes I got it right; sometimes he had to straighten me out. Which is kind of nice about writing a
book with somebody. It's more of collaboration.
Do you want to collaborate on another book? Or write your own?
Either one. I'd really like to have the time (and advance) to fully research Know anybody giving out huge grants?
We write about Iowa authors here. How Iowa are you?
Corn-fed as they come. Mom was a teacher, Dad worked at Firestone. Graduated from Woodward-Granger High School, where Sandy Martin,
an English teacher, and Dixie Boyles, the wife of the local newspaper publisher, encouraged me to pursue a newspaper career.
Grew up reading The Register and would have considered my life a failure had I not worked there. Went to The University of Missouri
[Columbia], landed at The Register in 1981, left in 1996, returned in 1999 and left again in 2008. Maybe the third time will be
the charm.
For more information: www.kentstock.com.
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Ken Fuson
Heading for Home
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