REDDING, Calif.—August 7, 2025—Award-winning local author Steven T. Callan will speak about his highly anticipated second novel in the popular Game Warden Henry Glance series, The Outlaw from Newville, Thursday, September 4, at 10:00 a.m., at the meeting of the Friends of the Orland Free Library. The meeting will take place at the Carnegie Community Center, 912 3rd Street, adjacent to the Orland Free Library. A book signing will follow.
The Outlaw from Newville was released by Coffeetown Press, an imprint of Epicenter Press, on June 10, 2025. Callan earned acclaim with his first novel in the series, The Case of the Missing Game Warden, winner of the “Best First Novel” Award Finalist distinction in the largest international book awards competition for independent publishers, the Next Generation Indie Book Awards. The author’s first two books, both nonfiction and published by Coffeetown Press, earned excellent reviews and captured awards.His debut book, Badges, Bears, and Eagles—The True-Life Adventures of a California Fish and Game Warden, was a 2013 “Book of the Year” Award Finalist (Foreword Reviews). His second book, The Game Warden’s Son, was named “Best Outdoor Book of 2016” by the Outdoor Writers Association of California.
Callan says, “My love of nature is what drives my writing. I include a conservation message in everything I write.” The Outlaw from Newville is no exception. It features Northern California Game Warden Henry Glance, introduced to readers in The Case of the Missing Game Warden, Callan’s first novel in the Game Warden Henry Glance series, and is set mainly in Glenn and Butte counties. Callan’s latest also takes the reader to the wilds of Soviet Russia’s Primorsky Krai back in the 1970s, as Warden Glance discovers clues to Northern California big-game hunter Willie Radcliff’s lifetime of wildlife crimes.
Steve grew up in the small Northern California farm town of Orland, where he spent his high-school years playing baseball, basketball, hunting, and fishing. With an insatiable interest in wildlife, he never missed an opportunity to ride along on patrol with his father, a California Fish and Game warden. Steve went on to graduate from CSU, Chico, and attended graduate school at CSU, Sacramento. Hired by the California Department of Fish and Game in 1974, he began his career as a game warden near the Colorado River, promoted to patrol lieutenant in the Riverside/San Bernardino area, and spent the remainder of his thirty-year enforcement career in Shasta County. Callan earned numerous awards for his work in wildlife protection.
Passionate about the environment, Steve and his wife, Kathy, are avid anglers, kayakers, bird-watchers, and scuba divers. They live in the Redding area.
Complete media kit, reviews, and news available at steventcallan.com.
Review copies of Steve’s books available upon request.
For interviews and appearances, please contact kathy@steventcallan.com
Praise for Author Steven T. Callan
THE OUTLAW FROM NEWVILLE
“Law-enforcement agency cooperation is key to a quality conclusion and makes the read even more worthwhile. The author uses 30 years’ experience as a game warden to the readers’ pleasureful benefit.”
—Ron Anderson, Sacramento Valley Mirror
THE CASE OF THE MISSING GAME WARDEN
“Best First Novel” Award Finalist for 2022
—Next Generation Indie Book Awards
“A first-rate ‘whodunit’ . . . Written with great detail in forming the primary characters, the first book in this series is well worth your time and money. I am looking forward to the next book!”
—International Game Warden Magazine
“There is much nonfiction to be learned from this book, and it is grandly entertaining as well. . . . The book is a delight.”
—Ron Anderson, Sacramento Valley Mirror
“Callan’s story is a fascinating blend of detective work and chance encounters, and the kind of intuition needed to turn those encounters into actionable evidence.”
—Dan Barnett, Chico Enterprise-Record
THE GAME WARDEN’S SON
“Best Outdoor Book of 2016” Award Winner
—Outdoor Writers Association of California
“A witty and enlightening memoir, The Game Warden’s Son brims over with tales of stake-outs using disguises and subterfuge to trap transgressors. . . . The book’s slang or jargon related to wildlife is a fun bonus and makes the timely account of environmental protection even more enjoyable.”
—Jane Manaster for the Manhattan Book Review (Five-Star Review)
“Callan’s writing is dynamic and authoritative, with an episodic structure that will keep experts and novice readers turning the pages. The dialogue, sharp and resourceful, helps to move the story forward without bogging down the narrative structure.”
—Dan Good, NY Daily News
“I am happy to report that I have read The Game Warden’s Son and that I enjoyed it very much. The Game Warden’s Son holds the reader’s attention with interesting narration of a variety of hunting and fishing violations in the deserts, valleys, mountains, and coastal areas of California. It has lively character portrayal and good insight into human nature, especially the crass disregard that many people have toward wildlife. Even more, this book is a wonderful tribute to the legacy of a father, a son, and many other wildlife professionals dedicated to protecting all of California’s natural resources.”
—John D. Nesbitt, award-winning author of Field Work and Dark Prairie
“Filled with true-life stories, they are all written in an exciting manner that puts you in the middle of the action. And action there is! Game wardens seldom have nearby backup, and they need to be resourceful and self-confident when enforcing game laws. After all, almost everyone they come in contact with is armed! Fascinating book, and a must-read.”
—Bill Karr, Western Outdoor News
“An exciting series of easy-to-read and gripping detective stories . . . It was extremely hard to put down. Callan is a fine storyteller. Each chapter stands on its own and is a fun read.”
—Frank Galusha, founder and former editor and publisher of MyOutdoorBuddy.com
“What a great book! The Game Warden’s Son not only captures the essence of the adventures of being a game
warden, it sets the groundwork on how the passion to protect the wildlife resources can be inspired in a young person’s upbringing.”
—Michael P. Carion, retired Deputy Director/Chief of the Law Enforcement Division of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife
“The Game Warden’s Son is a stellar follow-up to Callan’s first book.”
—Gerry Lister for International Game Warden Magazine
“These are stories of wardens’ dogged determination, long stakeouts and creative stings, all for the love of nature. As a tribute to Wally Callan, his son could do no better.”
—Dan Barnett, Chico Enterprise-Record
BADGES, BEARS, AND EAGLES—THE TRUE-LIFE ADVENTURES OF A CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME WARDEN
“Book of the Year” Award Finalist for 2013
—ForeWord Magazine
“This engrossing memoir by debut author Callan lets readers in on highlights of his 30-year career as a California wildlife officer. With a healthy dose of bravado, he always gets his perps, though he credits his fellow officers, like long-time partner Dave Szody, and the roles they’ve played in cases brought against poachers and other law-breakers. He recalls stories from back into the 1970’s, his memory matched by a knack for pacing and recognition of how much information readers need to understand the dynamics of the cases. From beer-swilling poacher flunkies to “entrepreneurs” dealing in black bear gall bladder for use in Chinese medicine, Callan and his partner sent a lot of wild characters to jail. The vignettes are jaw-dropping, funny, tragic, enraging, exciting, and hopeful—sometimes all at once. An avid outdoorsman with respect for the land and its inhabitants, Callan shares some of the ecological and social history of each California region he’s worked; while those without knowledge of hunting will soon learn the intricacies of California’s byzantine regulations. Never wavering from his ideals, Callan demonstrates an enviable love of his life’s work and has plenty of adventure stories to share.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Exceptionally well written. . . . The writing style is almost flawless, and reading this gem is pure effortless joy. The variety of tales that are told keeps the book fresh throughout. . . .”
—Gerry Lister, International Game Warden magazine
“A thrilling ride into the heart of bad guy country. Which is pretty much anywhere in the state, any place that people can abuse wildlife and habitats for a profit. . . . The author has reconstructed his and other cases from memory, interviews and court documents. The result is a series of suspenseful, well-written procedurals in which good triumphs, but not without a lot of foot work and tense dealings with well armed scofflaws. . . . It’s compelling reading about true public service.”
—Dan Barnett, Chico Enterprise Record
“Steve Callan has written an honest and compelling memoir of his career as a warden for the California Department of Fish & Game. Game wardens usually work alone, rarely with back-up, and often must deal with men carrying loaded firearms. It’s not a calling for the faint at heart, but one requiring high intelligence, tact, and insight into human nature. Californians are fortunate to have wardens of Callan’s distinguished character protecting their wildlife.”
—Boyd Gibbons, former Director of the California Department of Fish & Game, retired President of The Johnson Foundation and former U.S. Deputy Under Secretary of Interior
“Callan is John Grisham for the Outdoorsman. Conservationists will applaud his sometimes ‘unique’ efforts to protect our natural resources from those who would abuse them. Whoever knew there was so much intrigue in Fish and Game cases?”
—McGregor Scott, former Shasta County District Attorney and former United States Attorney-Sacramento
“Callan’s chronicle of the life of a California Fish and Game warden stands out because in addition to the typical illegal hunting and fishing cases, he provides the reader with real life examples of wardens protecting wildlife habitat and conducting exhaustive undercover operations. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book.”
—Donald Koch, retired Director of the California Department of Fish and Game