About

My name is Ron Barry and I was born and raised in Brownsville, Pennsylvania. Brownsville is a town that is nestled in the northwest corner of Fayette County, and the town was built along the Monongahela River. Brownsville is about 40 miles south of Pittsburgh.

When I wrote my first novel, entitled JOBTOWN, my hometown played a very significant part in the development of the story. Although the novel itself is set in the fictional city of Iron Bridge, Illinois, anyone who is familiar with Brownsville will easily pick up on the similarities between Iron Bridge and Brownsville. In fact, I chose the name "Iron Bridge" because Brownsville is home to the very first cast iron bridge ever built in the United States.

As you may have guessed, I am a volunteer firefighter and I currently hold the rank of fire chief of the South Brownsville Fire Company #1. Being a firefighter has always been a very important part of my life, and when I sat down to write my first book, there was nothing else I wanted to write about. The result was JOBTOWN.

Chief Barry Books is a platform for me to share my work with anyone and everyone who likes what I feel are good, heartfelt stories. I hope that you visit often and give me your honest feedback on my writing.

I am a teacher by profession, and I have the pleasure of teaching high school students the skills and knowledge necessary to pursue careers in law enforcement, firefighting, emergency medical services, and related fields.

I have been married to my wife, Gale for 31 years and we have 4 beautiful children; Alexandra, Kaitlyn, Patrick, and Ella. Kaitlyn and Patrick have followed my footsteps and joined the fire department, and they have both become excellent firefighters.

Although firefighting is a big part of who I am, it is not all of who I am; I am a man of faith, a Roman Catholic, and I am fiercely proud of my Irish heritage. My late father, Vincent Patrick Barry, gave me a great gift, and that was his love of the University of Notre Dame. In the coming months, I hope to release my next novel, entitled Finding Frank Leahy. The story takes place in Brownsville back in 1948. A young lad named Jimmy Flanagan dreams of somehow giving his father the gift of meeting the greatest college football coach in the country, Notre Dame's Frank Leahy. What results is a heartwarming, nostalgic story of love, family, and comical misadventures. I truly hope that you enjoy it.

I truly appreciate your visiting my website, and I look forward to providing you with stories that you and your family will enjoy. Take care, stay safe, and God Bless!

-RJB