Author's Corner: "The Adventures of a Common Man"

Edmond P. DeRousse grew up in Sparta, Ill., spent seven years in the U.S. Army, worked as the Shawnee District executive for the Southeast Missouri Boy Scout Council in the 1980s and has worked in the Illinois Department of Corrections for several years.

DeRousse has taken his experiences, added some adventure, humor and wild characters and written his first novel, "The Adventures of a Common Man" ($14.99; Tate Publishing).

Each chapter in the book recounts an adventure had by fictional character Pete Russey, from a murder in his classroom to an attack from Murphy's Army while he was camp director at a Boy Scout camp.

DeRousse will be signing books from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at Gospeland Bookstore.