Bill Kenley, English teacher at Noblesville High School, is infamous for his creative writing class at NHS.

There’s something else that makes him stand out according to Kerry Brooks, President of River’s Edge Media.

“His moustache. Definitely the moustache.”

Aside from all that, Kenley released his debut novel, High School Runner: Freshman, June 1 of this year. His summer became occupied with several speaking events, most of which happened here in the Hoosier State.

“Around here, I’ve had a great summer,” Kenley said. “I went to Notre Dame and read it at their cross country camp. I read it down in southern Indiana at a camp. I read it at Anderson University, and those have gone well. I’ve done some other things at bookstores, and I’ve done some things at running stores.”

High School Runner depicts the tale of freshman Sherman Kindle, also known as K1, and his first year on his high school cross country team. It can be viewed as a reflection of Kenley’s own life.

“The book is basically set in Noblesville,” Kenley explains. “It’s a fictional town, but anyone who’s from here, when they read it, they’re going to see that I’ve drawn from this place, so that’s fun to me too because I like this place, and I love it. It’s my home that’s in the book, and that feeling’s in the book.”

High School Runner has been one of River’s Edge Media’s biggest success, according to Kenley.

“The good stuff for us has been that we got a national review in Kirkus Reviews,” Kenley said. “Not everyone gets a review, and ours was very positive. The other really big thing was Runner’s World, which is a national magazine you can pick up in any airport. Online, they gave it a very good – it wasn’t even a review – it was on their summer reading list, so that was big.”

Brooks credits the success of the book due to how well-written it is.

“Kenley is building a set of characters that are memorable,” Brooks said.

For the time being, Kenley will continue to do what he does best – teach English 10 Honors and Creative Writing.

“When I came back to school this year, I was so happy,” Kenley said. “Writing is lonely, and I’ve got the kind of personality that needs connection. So whatever happens, I expect to keep teaching.”

He plans to complete the series and continue in his writing. In fact, he has another potential piece up his sleeve.

“I’ve got a story I’ve actually written a lot of already, but I’d like to revisit, which is based on my time working in Alaska. I might have talked about it in my Creative Writing class, this ghost story. It’s just too good of a story. It’s just good. It’s got all the elements. It’s got a great setting. It’s got a cool historical connection. And I love that place.”

Kenley doesn’t just write for himself, he writes for high school students.

“It’s fun for me to share this with students. I certainly don’t want to push it to try and feel like I’m selling it, but a lot of the joy of it for me and a lot of the fun is in connecting with students through my writing as a teacher writing. It’s fun.”