Celebrated Wilderness Author to Appear in Fayetteville for Book Signing

Michael C. Hurley will be appearing at noon on Saturday, April 30, 2005, at the Barnes & Noble store on 121 Glensford Drive in Fayetteville, to sign copies of his new book, Letters from the Woods: Looking at Life through the Window of Wilderness.

(PRWEB) April 16, 2005 -- Michael C. Hurley is a Raleigh attorney best known for the legal skill that has earned him an impressive string of courtroom victories over the past 20 years. What most of Hurley's colleagues and friends don't realize is that he is just as at home in a canoe as in a courtroom, and that readers across the country know him not for his legal abilities but for his secret life as a wilderness guru. At an appearance at the Barnes & Noble store in Fayetteville on Saturday, April 30, Hurley will be signing copies of his new book, Letters from the Woods, which celebrates his passion for the wilderness experience.

When his now-teenaged children were barely old enough to tag along, Hurley rekindled dreams of wilderness canoeing from his days as the restless child of a single mother growing up in Baltimore. He set out in 1995 to write and photograph a journal about his family's canoeing adventures all over the country. One friend encouraged him to sell subscriptions, and Hurleys Journal was born--soon renamed Paddle & Portage and distributed nationwide. Hurley sketched intricate maps for his journal and wrote detailed directions on routes, gear, and hidden camping spots along remote rivers. In each issue he also wrote a personal story embroidered with recollections from his younger years and later struggles to encounter faith and a sense of self through his wilderness experiences.

Before long, people started writing to Hurley to share their reactions to his personal stories, which became a reader favorite. A diverse group of farmers, doctors, schoolteachers, paupers and princes-even one noted billionaire-all shared a devotion to Hurleys journal. Some recognized a spark reminiscent of Thoreau or Robert Ruark. Others were drawn to his devotion to family and the Catholic faith. Before the demands of his growing law practice in downtown Raleigh forced Hurley to discontinue publication in 2003, more than 10,000 people had come to subscribe.

Readers of the journal urged Hurley to collect his essays into a single volume, and thats how Letters from the Woods came to be. The book is now out in hardcover from Ragbagger Publishing. Barnes & Noble and Borders are stocking the book--Hurley's first--for nationwide distribution at selected stores.

Writer's Digest calls Hurley's book "outstanding," "well written," and "inspiring on a variety of levels." The Midwest Book Review calls it "a restful and inspirational insight into the beauty and wonder that is life itself." The Carroll County Times, in Maryland, describes it as "one of the best outdoor writings released this year." The Colorado Daily calls Hurley a "canoe camper extraordinaire." To hear one reader tell it, this is wonderful, honest, and intimate writing." Comments like these abound. It looks like the verdict is in, and Hurley has scored a victory we all can savor.

Michael C. Hurley will be appearing at noon on Saturday, April 30, 2005, at the Barnes & Noble store on 121 Glensford Drive in Fayetteville, to sign copies of his new book, Letters from the Woods: Looking at Life through the Window of Wilderness.

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