BOOKS

This heartwarming true story tells the adventurous life of a boy raised in Arkansas and his many endeavors and tribulations. Smokey shows us how a person can control his own destiny to a certain extent, but on the other hand the story also suggests that he loses all at the merciless hands of a sometimes cruel, heartless, uncaring world. One moral is that whether it is through fate or human evil, everything one works for can suddenly and unexpectedly be ruined beyond repair. Smokey Crabtree has a lesson to teach and from his trying experiences he proves to be more able to portray this information than most people. As a young boy, growing up in Arkansas during the depression, he learned how to make the most of what he had. His father died when he was fairly young and his mother took on the responsibility of raising her seven children. And she did a fine job too! Smokey became one of the best hunters, trappers, and fishermen in the area. He had a knack for becoming the best at whatever he attempted. But more important was his belief in brotherly love and never doing another human being wrong. He was a firm believer in his convictions and stuck to them until the end.

Smokey covers his entire life and relates his many experiences and hardships in a colorful original manner. Finally his dream came true - a home deep in the country where he could raise his family in harmony with nature. He saw what technology and competitiveness did to people and this is what he wished to avoid. After he achieved his goal he and his family were sucked into the evils of the world and his life was adversely affected in the untoward circumstances. His intentions in writing this book was to "convey a message because I wanted the public to know the facts behind the scenes of the movie, "The Legend of Boggy Creek."

This book offers a variety of valuable knowledge and will be read with gusto by those looking for an exciting, human-interest story with profound insight into many three-dimensional characters.

In "Smokey and the Fouke Monster" , Smokey demonstrates an acute insight into human nature and has several invaluable principles to offer the reader. The subject of the book, as the author states, is "the true story of Smokey Crabtree concerning nature and wildlife experiences. How we should live off the land and not our friends and neighbors. How the country can make a man out of a boy, and what a mother's love means to children as they grow up.

"Too Close to the Mirror" - J. E. " Smokey " Crabtree


Chapter 8: Skeletal remains found in the woods southwest of Fouke, Arkansas.
Too Close to the Mirror
The continuing story of the life of Smokey Crabtree, The Legend of Boggy Creek Movie, and other adventures in a country boy's life
About the Author
Smokey worked on the Alaskan Pipeline for three years and was also in the grocery business. There is even a bit of the country music world involved in his story. He raised a family and worked in 18 foreign countries and almost every state in the United States. In the early years of his life, Smokey realized that many finer images of life are often hidden from view in the mirror of life when we stand too close to the mirror.
He lives in the countryside of Southwest Arkansas where he was raised, enjoying nature and the woods he grew up in. Smokey also enjoys fishing, hunting, and visiting with friends that he has known all his life. He will still fight for what is right, regardless.
Smokey began his story in his first book, "Smokey and the Fouke Monster", published in 1974. At the request of people who have read and enjoyed the first part of his story, he is bringing them up-to-date in this book.

My name is Smokey Crabtree ,and my life story is what has inspired this new book and it begins where I left off in 1974. I have received thousands of requests to "finish" the story that I began in "Smokey and The Fouke Monster" so here it is. It covers the twenty-eight years since the movie, "The Legend of Boggy Creek" was made, and the writing of my first book, "Smokey and The Fouke Monster", and gives you an insight into the country music world of Nashville, owning a supermarket, the finding of an eight foot skeleton in the woods near Fouke, Arkansas that has not been positively identified to this date, and other ups and downs in my life. The title comes from my belief that when a person stands too close to the mirror of life all they can see is their own image and they lose sight of others, but if a person steps back far enough they begin to see images of others and they might even see the image of the Lord looking down on all of us.

Thanks to your support, my first book, "Smokey and The Fouke Monster" has been a big success. It is still on the market today, even though the bookstores still refuse to stock it on their shelves. It has always sold through mail orders. I also offer a line of "Smokey and The Fouke Monster" souvenirs , coffee mugs, T-shirts, caps, postcards and bookmarks as well as my books. Please be sure to visit my souvenir page. The scenes on the postcards are from the area in which the movie "The Legend of Boggy Creek was filmed and it is also an area in which the creature roamed.

"Too Close To The Mirror" is a bigger book than my first one, it also includes pictures, as the first one did, and the price is $19.95 plus $4.20 shipping and handling. We accept credit card orders and you may order by calling 1-870-653-6686 and your order will be processed the day you place it. You may also order by sending a money order to Days Creek Production Corp., 414 Miller County 26, Fouke, AR 71837. "Smokey and the Fouke Monster" is $14.95 plus $4.20 shipping and handling. You may order both books for $30.00 plus $4.20 shipping and handling, a savings of approximately $7.50. We also offer ordering through Pay Pal on the souvenir page.

The first printing of "Smokey and the Fouke Monster" by Smokey Crabtree is in limited supply. The price for this first edition, autographed book was $50.00 but due to a decreasing supply it is now $75.00 plus $4.20 shipping. This price is also subject to change as quantity is depleted. Second Printing-Reprinted in March 1999, Price $14.95 plus $4.20 shipping. Call 870-653-6686 to order by credit card, visit the souvenir page and order through Pay Pal, or send a Money Order for the correct amount to Days Creek Production, 414 Miller county 26, Fouke, AR 71837.

For purchase information of the book and other collectables please contact us in one of the following ways:

Smokey Crabtree 1(870)653-6686
Days Creek Production
414 Miller County 26
Fouke, Arkansas 71837