Joe Surber Autographing

The Mirror Chase
by Joe Robert Surber

Saturday, March 31st 1:30 to 3:00

Blue Saber knows how fragile life can be. In Vietnam, Blue saw too many of his brothers-in-arms fall. He also saw enemy lives end at his own hands. When he returned home from Southeast Asia, Blue swore never to kill again. But fate had other plans.

When a hit man's mistake leads to the deaths of Blue Saber's wife and daughter, the hit man and the organization that hired him don't realize how big a mistake they have made. Losing his wife and daughter leaves Blue determined to rediscover his killer instinct. Blue resolves to use the full extent of his combat experience and his knowledge of psychology to find their killer and take his revenge.

But Blue isn't the only one on the hunt. A man known only as The Chair, the man who hired the hit man who killed Blue's wife and daughter, has discovered Blue's revenge plot and dispatched his most lethal killer to put an end to it. Blue soon finds himself in a battle for survival in which the hunter has become the hunted. Can Blue use his knowledge and experience to stay one step ahead of the hit man pursuing him? Or will he find that in this hunt the prey is even deadlier than the predator? Find out in Joe Robert Surber's tense psychological thriller The Mirror Chase.

Joe Robert  Surber was born in Pawhuska and  reared on a cattle ranch.  Known as Bob throughout his high school days, he attended Northeastern State University for his Bachelors in Arts and Oklahoma State University for his Masters and Doctorate degrees.  He taught junior high language arts in Colorado and  came to Ponca City in l965.  He taught junior English and debate, marrying student teacher Jo Del (Jody) Novak in 1967. Jody was a secretary for the Ponca City Schools Special Education Department and later the Athletic Department, retiring in 2009 after 28 years. 

After living in Ponca City for 45 years, Joe and Jody moved to Claremore to be near their grandchildren.
Joe and Jody have two children. Robert Brian is an attorney and an Oklahoma Bureau of  Narcotics agent.  He and his wife Lynel have two children and live in Broken Arrow.  Daughter Karrie Jo married David Cuttler and they have two children.  Karrie is an audiologist in Claremore.

    Joe was principal of Unity High School in Ponca City,  a counselor at West Junior High, and a counselor and psychometrist at the former Bi-State Mental Health Foundation.  In 1974, he became Ponca City Schools' Director of Special Education  and 1976, Director of Special Services.  He was named Assistant Superintendent of Operations for the Ponca Schools in 1984, retiring in 2008.  Joe joined the Oklahoma National Guard in 1966 and the U. S. Army Reserves, honorably discharged as a staff sergeant.

    He was an adjunct professor for OSU for several years teaching extension classes.  He presented workshops and programs to the National Association of School Psychologists,  the Association of Negotiator and Contract Administrators,  a national negotiations group, and a number of Oklahoma organizations such as the Oklahoma School Board Association and presented dozens of inservice training sessions to various school districts.  The Oklahoma State Department of Education selected him to represent mid-sized schools at various regional and national conferences in the special education area.

  Joe was listed the 1976 Outstanding Young Men of America  publication and listed in 1981 Personalities Surber Biography of American,  Who's Who in the Southwest, Who's Who in America, and in 2005,the Who's Who in the World ( A. N. Marquis & Company ) publications.  

   He has written numerous articles in educational and psychological publications and in 1976 published The Blue Book of Counseling:  Concrete Tools and Techniques, a counseling  handbook.  He has had poetry included in five anthologies.

    Joe was active in the Ponca City Community.  He was a deacon and Elder at the First Christian Church and helped with the Friendship Feast.  He was a Noon Lions Club member, an Elks Club member, member of the Huff Minor American Legion Post 14,  a past Toastmaster, past president of the Kay County Wordsmiths,  past consultant and member of the Board of Directors for Helpline, past director of original Kay County Youth Shelter,  former director of Ponca City Red Cross, Chamber's Community  Relations,  and the City's Vision 2010.  He served on the Board of Directors and was a former  treasurer for the Ponca City YMCA and  a  past member of the Ponca City Jaycees. He was named one of the Three Outstanding Young  Oklahomans  by the Jaycee state organization in l976. 

    Some personal information about Joe is that in addition to reading and writing, he likes to hunt, fish, and travel.  He owns and manages a cow-calf ranch operation, the Osage Cattle Company, LLC.  The ranch is north  of Pawhuska.