Kelley's Cloudburst: Over a winding trail follow the adventurous Jesse Kelley as he confronts the highs and lows of his generation. (Volume 1)

Heavy outpourings of short duration with stormy side effects are the characteristics that define the title, Kelley’s Cloudburst. These linked stories occur periodically over Jesse Kelley’s lifetime. As a cloudburst, some stories are intense and turbulent but end calmly. It is for your reading entertainment, not the author’s confessions or chest-poundings, that these yarns are offered. A bonus for the reader may be a personal remembrance while following Jesse Kelley’s winding trail through the milestones of his generation. The lead story, Wild Heron, is about a day in October, 1962—fifty years ago—during the Cuban Crisis when a young 3-man flight crew of a B-47 bomber, while executing a contingency plan sent by higher authority, almost triggers nuclear war. Through the crew’s navigator, the reader feels the personal emotions and professionalism of the crew as they perform their duties on this special mission during a tense period of the Cold War. There is a story portraying a failed marriage and its repercussions. Other stories find Jesse Kelley in various stages of his life reacting to flashbacks and fantasies about relationships that began well and ended sadly, only to be revived by discovery of mutual interests—flying an airplane. Another story describes a life-changing event: job loss and its disabling effects. Still another story is satirical and relates an event where Jesse gets his season-long wish—a surprising encounter. In the final episode, Jesse makes notes of his rise, fall, resilience, rescue, and future—his all-inclusive personal cloudburst. A surprise comes at the end.