DeKALB – Jim Ball had never written anything before his first novel, but you couldn't tell that from reading it.

"Digging Home" is the story of a 12-year-old Catholic boy named Benny who rescues a dog about to be euthanized at the county animal shelter. Little does he know it at the time, but the dog will eventually save both his family and their home. These events are set against the backdrop of a fateful summer in the 1970s in this coming-of-age tale of loss, laughter, childhood pranks, puppy love, Little League baseball and an act or two of heroism.

A lifelong resident of DeKalb, Ball retired from the U.S. Postal Service in 2007. He and his wife of 35 years, Barb, have two adult daughters. Ball works part-time at the Northern Illinois University bookstore and has been a referee for middle school and high school football and basketball games for 35 years.