A Note from Robert Rovegno
Author of Joey Kelly and the Astonishing Discovery of Veiled Lake
Welcome to my website for young readers, educators, parents, and friends. My name is Robert Rovegno, but you can just call me Bob. If you are willing to put your imagination in my hands, I promise to transport you to incredible places where you will follow four teenage archaeologists, two boys, and two girls, as they battle incredible monsters and meet infamous villains and legendary heroes. Despite the odds never being in their favor, they return from their odyssey alive with treasures beyond belief.
These teenage archaeologists are just like you. Radioactive bugs haven’t bitten them, nor are they descendants of mythological gods. They aren’t wizards, warlocks, or witches. They are four best friends who use their brains, teamwork, friendship, and a little luck to return from Veiled Lake alive. Now that you know a little bit about Joey Kelly and his team, Madison, Gabriel, and Gianna, I’d like to tell you a little bit about myself.
I was born in Woodside, Queens, one of the five boroughs of New York City. Growing up a city kid required an incredible imagination. Video games weren’t close to being invented yet. There weren’t any parks within walking distance from my apartment house. There weren't a lot of trees within walking distance of my house. But there were some empty lots, the Deluxe Movie Theatre, and the town of Bayville on Long Island Sound. Bayville was an hour's drive from our apartment house.
Using my imagination, vacant lots became battlefields that had to be defended from invading hordes of monsters or pirates. They were transformed into archaeological dig sites. I still have a nasty scar on my finger from a sharp piece of glass I unearthed while digging for pirate treasure. Vacant cars were transformed into fighter planes or spaceships hurtling to strange new worlds. The movie theater was a constant source of data for my imagination. Monster movies like The Thing, The Blob, Crawling Eye, and epic adventures such as Jason and the Argonauts, Sinbad, and Spartacus are hard to forget. To this day, I can download scenes from these and many other movies into my imagination, which helps me write incredible stories that you will enjoy reading.
I have some interests other than writing. My parents loved the beach, and so did I. I spent many summer weekends on the beaches of Bayville, New York. I learned to swim, snorkel, dive, and fish on and off the waters of Long Island Sound. I also learned how to operate and navigate boats. My wife, children, and grandchildren also love the beach. We rent a house once or twice yearly on Holden Beach in North Carolina. Holden Beach is also the base of operations for Joey Kelly and his team of archaeologists. We are also restoring a Jafco Seamaster boat, the same boat Joey and his team take on their first incredible adventure to Veiled Lake.
I also love vintage cars and have been restoring and driving them since I got my driver's license. Like Disney's Doc Hudson, my first car was a 1954 Hudson Hornet. I drove it back and forth from New York to North Carolina, where I attended Davidson College. I currently own a 1936 Hudson 8 Business Coupe, a 1941 Graham Hollywood, and a 1953 Hudson Hornet Coupe, which my grandson wants me to paint like Doc Hudson. I also have a 1954 Hudson Hornet convertible and a 1977 AMC Matador Coupe.
The real loves of my life are my muse and wife, Lucy, my daughters, their husbands, and my nine grandchildren. I met Lucy when she was 15 and I was 16. We have been together ever since. Lucy received her BA in Early Childhood Education and has taught for forty-three years. I would visit her classroom during my lunch hour and loved to watch her students grow emotionally and intellectually as the school year went by. We love dogs, and our rescue dog, Spartacus, has a small but important role in my book. Lucy is incredibly supportive of my writing. We still hold hands.
I have two daughters, Suzanne and Jennifer. Suzanne and her husband, Don, have two children, Madison and Donny. They live five minutes away. Sue has illustrated my book, Joey Kelly and the Astonishing Discovery of Veiled Lake, and this website with the incredible monsters you see in my works. Jennifer and her husband, Derek, have seven children and live with us. Jennifer is a published author, and her husband, Derek, is a high school music teacher. Jennifer homeschools her seven children and thinks my books would be a wonderful book for homeschoolers. My grandkids are all different and fantastic in their own way. From the oldest to youngest: Gianna, Madison, Gabriel, Donald, Lucianna, Emanuella, Joseph, Giany, and Miles are constantly inspiring me to write, and I have written books for young readers that I hope to publish soon after my first book goes to print.
Archaeology is a fascinating profession, and Greek mythology is filled with mazes, monsters, and superheroes.
Our website includes many fun activities. I have researched and found some websites where you can experience virtual tours of famous museums. Just click the link, and you’ll be on your way! You can also download fun extras such as word searches, coloring pages, and posters. We will add more to our list of activities as the Joey Kelly Book Series grows.
