Chan Atchley
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About The Author Chan Atchley was born,
raised and farmed the land within a few miles of where his grandfather, J.A. filed on his homestead in 1901. He grew up
in a family surrounded by friends and relatives that were migrants from North Carolina and Tennessee. From them, he
heard many stories of how the dirt poor “hill people” survived while living in poverty in the South. He also heard the
many tales of their struggles as they settled in the West. |
As a young man, Chan
went to the University of Idaho and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Agriculture. After two years in the Army he
came home to Ashton, Idaho to farm and ranch. He, like his forefathers, loved the land, but it was not to be. At that
time, the agricultural sector of the economy was very similar to the terrible depression years of the 1930's.
A few years later, Chan returned to college where he earned a Masters Degree in Agriculture
and an MBA. This led him to take his family of seven overseas for 12 years where he worked in Latin America and Asia
managing large agribusiness operations. His love of the land and vision of the future eventually induced him to lead an
effort to develop and introduce a specialty canola crop into the very area of southeastern Idaho where he, his father and
his grandfather farmed.
As Chan moved up through the managerial ranks and later while working as a consultant, he found writing to be a necessary
part of his life. The most effective way to sell an idea or lay out a plan was to write concisely.
Chan left the business world in 1993 to devote his life to writing. However, business and literary writing are very
different. He made the transition by immersing himself in the literary world and studying the art of writing in numerous
writers’ workshops and attending a number of writers’ conferences.
Shortly after the death of his father in 1996, Chan returned to his roots in Southeastern Idaho to work on what he thought
would be a short project writing his own family’s history. The project turned out to be another one of those unexpected
career altering events. The compelling story about his grandfather's and great uncle's courageous battle to forge a new
life in the West took six years to research and write.
Early in the research phase, he discovered there were no specific guidelines that addressed how to organize, research and
write a family history. Using his organizational skills, Chan developed a process that led not only to the writing of an
award-winning book, but also the formation of a publishing company. The Soul of the Land won first place in the Idaho
Press Women’s competition and went on to win Honorable Mention in the national competition.
We, The Shamans was written to provide guidance to the many readers who have requested information as to how they too can
write an interesting family history. |
