Houtman has a been in and around fishing and hunting through a career with American Sportfishing Association, North American Fishing Club, North American Hunting Club and Masters Walleye Circuit— just to name a few. Houtman’s chapter books for 8-12 year olds, with adventures around fishing, camping and hunting are available as paperbacks and e-books at Amazon, Barnes and Nobles, Independent Book Stores and Sporting Good Stores as well as at www.fishonkidsbooks.com. Five books are available: A Whirlwind Opener (#10), Driving Me Crazy (#2), Spare the Rod (#3), Duck, Duck Deuce (#4), Born to be Wild (#5) with the sixth book due out November 2013. At least 10 are planned. Houtman writes from experience raising a family on Lake Minnetonka, the setting for the books. The fourth book (Duck, Duck Deuce) received an award from AGLOW in Fall 2012 in the books category of Awards-In-Craft.
“I thoroughly enjoyed the Fish On Kids Books series – Houtman has a wonderful talent. The stories are refreshing and have extremely valuable content interwoven in a fully developed story. I'm engaged in the life of Gus and when one book ends, I want to find out what he is up to in the next.” Sharon Rushton, Outdoor Writer and author of No Paved Road to Freedom
"In a time when too many kids are missing out on what the outdoors have to offer, Houtman's book series drives home the point: Mother Nature is the world's best teacher after all." Scott Richardson, Outdoor Writer, Bloomington, IL
“From cover to cover the best series of chapter books I've seen in years. These books are wholesome with a focus on adventure. Wish I had them when I was a kid. I'm still a kid at heart and prolific reader. These are my kind of books.” Larry Rea, host, Outdoors with Larry Rea, Memphis, TN
“Count me in as a fan!” Jim Shepherd, The Fishing Wire
“These are fun stories.” Kevin VanDam, professional angler
“I’ve read them all and think these books are great.” Jim Zumbo, professional hunter and outdoor writer
Areas of Expertise: Storyteller of outdoor experiences (AGLOW, SEOPA, POMA)