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About Barry Kienzle

Barry Kienzle was born, raised, and educated in Northern Kentucky and is, in every sense, a Kentucky boy, proud of his heritage and the state he calls home. His working career was in accounting and financial roles, primarily as a CFO. Prior to his retirement, he ventured toward a second career in writing and felt compelled to begin it with an amazing story of Northern Kentucky origin. His first novel, The Crossings, is based on a true story of his father, George, who, in 1932, after being abandoned by his father, hopped a freight train in Northern Kentucky and rode to New Orleans to see Mardi Gras. George rarely spoke of it, but Barry knew enough to write the story, interweaving other facts and information about his father that he had learned over time.

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He followed up The Crossings with its sequel, The Indian, followed by A Whisper in the Wind. He strayed from the historical fiction genre when offered the opportunity to co-write a memoir, Heart of a Lion - Our Journey of Faith and Courage, with Willie Burton. His is a nationally known story about him, who, as a high schooler wrestled at Fairdale High School in Kentucky with cerebral palsy, losing every match but one, which he won on Senior Night. Barry followed it with a children's book about Willie called Willie - A Super Friend! Barry's work on Heart of a Lion provided him the opportunity to work with a former Harlem Globetrotter, Nate Branch, on his autobiography, Nate Branch - Playing My Way Through Life.

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All of Barry's writings have won several national awards and recognitions. This, and encouragement from others, has led him to adapt his first novel, The Crossings, into the screenplay Dream Rails. He has met with some success by being recognized in several contests and continues to pursue representation in the movie industry. He hopes to ride his success with the adaptation of his other novels to screenplays as well.   

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