The Author

Hello. I am Ronald S. Martinez Sr.  of Pueblo, Colorado which is the ‘Home if the Hero’s’ museum celebrating four Medal of Honor recipients all from the City of Pueblo. It is also the boyhood home of playwright Damon Runyon and the site of the annual Pueblo Chili 🌶 Festival. I am an alumnus of Colorado State University, Pueblo and graduate of Metropolitan State University of Denver, B. A. and Adams State University of Alamosa in Colorado, M.A. I spent 17 years as a journalist with The Pueblo Chieftain & Star-Journal newspaper – circulation of 50,000 and I am a retired Educator of Pueblo School District No. 60 where I taught at the elementary, middle and high school levels for 28 1/2 years. I am also a retired Navy veteran serving 20 years in the selective reserve. The book ‘The Prairie Monster’ published by iUniverse Publishing is my first creative attempt at story telling. The historical fiction tale follows two youngsters – a Ute Native American and a Mexican boy, both eight years old, who discover dinosaur tracks in the Eastern Colorado plains. With the help of two Franciscan priest, the children begin a quest to bring the Prairie Monster to the world’s attention. Meanwhile, history unravels in their midst.

My wife, Rosie, and I have been married 47 years. We have four children and 15 grandchildren. We are Roman Catholic, and very active in our church. My hobbies are writing, reading and astronomy and my wife’s pastimes are sewing and reading. We both enjoy watching Spanish language classic movie programming. We both pray daily together.

The Book

History surrounds us, but we don’t always know where to find it. Would we even think to look in our own backyards? In author Ronald S. Martinez Sr.’s book, The Prairie Monster, two children are playing, just like they do every day. But this time, they discover tracks that resemble the lizard creatures they play with. In their imaginations, they make connections, visualizing a creature stranger than reality. But with the help of a priest, who shares their enthusiasm, they learn the prairie monster actually existed! When their discovery of dinosaur tracks is made in the riverbeds of the dry prairies south of what is now La Junta, Colorado, the children and priest go on a wild expedition to expose the existence of the prairie monster to an unknowing world. The Prairie Monster is an entertaining story with historical references. As the children and the priest undertake this journey of discovery, they also witness—and contribute to—Colorado history in the making.