Advance Praise for" The Butterfly Hunter " "Chris Ballard's vibrant collection of true stories about passionate men and women doing oddball things for a living--and loving it--is the ideal elixir for anyone mired in the daily grind and wishing for a way out. The literary equivalent of a pair of battery cables, this book will jumpstart the dreams of anyone who reads it." --Erik Larson, author of "The Devil in the White City " ""The Butterfly Hunter" offers an important reminder in these risk-averse, mass-marketed times: One person's weird is another's passion. Chris Ballard's subjects are lucky to have found their callings--and we're lucky to have these inspiring, affectionate, well-crafted portraits of them." --Stefan Fatsis, author of "Word Freak: Heartbreak, Triumph, Genius, and Obsession in the World of Competitive Scrabble Players ""Some people study insects, some climb walls, some like hunting for mushrooms. Chris Ballard collects interesting people who make a living from what they do. For these people work is living. Wouldn't life be great if we could all do that? Well you can and these stories will tell you how.

You only have one life and making the most of it should be considered a moral imperative. Just do it. I did." --Richard Donkin, fisherman, writer, and author of "Blood, Sweat and Tears": "The Evolution of Work " "This is a bright and sunny book about the delightful variety of ways that people occupy themselves for pay. Ballard's eccentric characters remind us that the jobs we chose to do in life are limited only by our passions and imagination." --Joanne B. Ciulla, Ph.D.

, author of "The Ethics of Leadership" and "The WorkingLife ".