‘Roadkill Cooking’ series book released
After a 25-year lapse, Jeff “The Roadkill Man” Eberbaugh of Elizabeth said it was time for a new installment of his humor and tasty recipes in “Volume III Hillbilly Style Roadkill Cooking – ‘It’s Not for Breakfast Anymore.'” The book was released in April.
“I got a new crowd now,” Eberbaugh, a registered nurse, said.
Eberbaugh self-published “Gourmet Style Roadkill Cooking and Other Fine Recipes” in 1991. “Volume II Roadkill Cooking Redneck Style and More Tails from the Fast Lane” was released in 1992 and out sold the first volume by thousands of books.
He sold 93,000 books in one year in 1993, which landed him among the top 10 self-published authors in the country. Some readers bought multiple copies for gifts, Eberbaugh said.
More than 275,000 copies have been sold since the release of Volume 1, Eberbaugh said.
“They’re selling real good,” he said.
Eberbaugh doesn’t eat roadkill and doesn’t suggest anyone does. Volume III includes more than two dozen wild game recipes that are so old, the sources are long forgotten, but have been in the family for as long as he can remember.
“I don’t really know. They’ve been around for years,” Eberbaugh said. “I’ve tested all of them and they’re good.”
Recipes show how to cook squirrel, armadillo, wild boar, dove, snapping turtle, raccoon and wild turkey. He also explains how to pluck a wild turkey.
But the bulk of the book are humorous poems Eberbaugh has written, such as “Vegan Steven,” “Mess Car Go,” “Go to Shell” and “Quackamole.”
The cover of Volume III features Okey Ray Stinespring, more familiarly known as Bad Eye, holding a plate with a possum. Eberbaugh wrote a poem about Bad Eye’s life and how he survived the Silver Bridge collapse and other maladies.
“I met him and I thought he would be a good cover for a Roadkill Book,” Eberbaugh said.
Eberbaugh has arranged his schedule as a nurse to allow time for the distribution and marketing of the book.
A self publisher has to do all that, including finding outlets where the book can be sold, he said. Sporting goods stores are prime spots, Eberbaugh said.
The work has allowed him to attend outdoor shows and other venues across the country, Eberbaugh said.
“It gives me an excuse to travel all over the place,” he said.
Volume III is available for $9.95 from Eberbaugh at P.O. Box 266, Elizabeth, WV 26143. Shipping is free. It is also available at the Liberty Truck Stop and at Mary B’s restaurant in Parkersburg, he said.
While the first two volumes remain available at amazon.com, shipping is not free, he said.
Eberbaugh and his wife, Leah, have three children, Zach, Mary-Michael and Lydia, and a grandchild, Gabriel.