Pablo Perez is a 12-year-old kid without much going for him. His classmates have dubbed him “Duct Tape” because his tattered discount-store sneakers are held together with…you guessed it, duct tape. He can’t escape the bullying.

Pablo’s luck begins to change after he finds a $20 gold coin while swimming with his sister in a river near their home. Pablo later buys a $1 treasure map at the county fair. The map shows the route to the “lost treasure” of the outlaw Jesse James. Pablo can’t help but wonder: Is there a link between the map and the gold coin?

He is determined to find out, and he, his 9-year-old sister, Pia, and 13-year-old cousin, Kiki, hire an ill-mannered cave guide, Monroe Huff, and begin a treacherous underground adventure in search of treasure. Their treasure hunt is made more perilous because they are being followed by the notorious Blood brothers, who want the treasure for themselves. The Blood brothers will stop at nothing to claim the treasure as their own.

Chris Is A Journalist Turned Storyteller

Christopher Cloud began writing fiction full time after a long career in journalism and public relations. Cloud graduated from the University of Missouri in 1967 with a degree in journalism. He has worked as a reporter, editor, and columnist at newspapers in Texas, California, and Missouri. He was employed by a major oil company as a public relations executive, and later operated his own public relations agency. Chris lives in Joplin, Missouri, and enjoys golf and hiking.

Christopher’s Next Novel

“Pablo Perez and the Ghosts of Cañón Colorado” continues the adventurous exploits of Pablo, Pia, and Kiki. A two-week stay on their uncle’s ranch in New Mexico proves to be more than the trio of young adventurers bargains for. Pablo should have know after that first day—when a haunting shriek of laughter echoes off the walls of Cañón Colorado—that he, his sister, and cousin were entering a dark and primitive corner of the world, one where good and evil collide. A chance meeting with the loathsome Ragland brothers confirms Pablo’s worst fears. The novel will be released in the fall of 2012.

You can purchase, "A Boy Called Duct Tape" at the following:

• Amazon.com
• Barnes & Noble
• Smashwords