Bruce Kistler

A wide range of personal interests and a couple of career changes provided Bruce Kistler grist for an eclectic output of books and articles. As a teenager in Pennsylvania, he became a top-level tournament water skier, competing in regional and national competitions. After a short stint as a teacher, Kistler moved to Florida and was an executive for the American Water Ski Association where he cut his teeth writing how-to and feature articles. Freelancing for a few years, he wrote Hit It! Your Complete Guide to Water Skiing (Human Kinetics Publishers, 1988) and magazine articles about water skiing and boating as well as other subjects including bird watching, bluegrass music and personal experience. During this period, he began researching family history and Pennsylvania German culture, which resulted in articles for a number of historical and genealogical society publications and ultimately Across the Blue Mountain, A Pennsylvania Family Saga and Memoir (KDP/Amazon, 2020), a combination historical novel and memoir about his family quest. Kistler had a long career as an AICP-certified urban planner working for local governments in Polk County, Florida writing comprehensive plans, development reviews and zoning codes. This experience, along with a love of the outdoors and volunteer work for several Florida conservation organizations, became the basis for Sand River Reckoning (KDP/Amazon, 2025), an eco-novel set in the Other Florida.