A retired English teacher, Mr. Shelley has completed numerous short stories in addition to his first novel, The Last Word. He also wrote a humorous essay titled "Camping in a Brave New Wild," which was published in North Dakota Quarterly.
The Last Word is the taut drama of two young men attacked during an aborted drug deal. Alternately pursuing and fleeing their violent assailant, the two must also deal with the unresolved issues of friendship, absent fathers, and coming-of-age.