Your book, Lost Valley, Lost Innocence, had to have been an incredibly intense process due to the fact you were writing about deeply personal trauma. How did you navigate the emotional toll of revisiting these memories while structuring them into a narrative for the public?

 

It was a process of stopping and starting. I cried, became angry, and sometimes struggled to get the words out. My wife, Darlene, stayed with me through the rewrite. Her support mattered enormously; I could face memories I had carried alone for so long with someone beside me.

In shaping the narrative, I kept returning to what Greg and I understood as boys. We did not recognize everything that was happening to us as grooming. Attention could feel like affection, and belonging could make danger difficult to see. The adult perspective in the book helps explain that confusion.

Humor and ordinary childhood experiences also belong to the story. They help readers know the boys we were and understand how the abuse entered our lives.

 

Your childhood friend Greg Connor is central to this story. How did his memory and your bond influence the perspective and tone you chose to maintain throughout the book?

 

Greg’s friendship shaped the way I remembered those years. Before Lost Valley, we had built forts, shared secrets, and created a world that belonged to us. He knew how to make me laugh when I thought I would never laugh again.

I wanted his humor and energy to remain alive on the page. Laughter and pain sit close together in the book because they did in our lives.

Our bond kept the story personal. I wanted readers to care about Greg and understand how abuse strained a friendship that had meant so much to us.

 

 

A major theme in your book is institutional betrayal. What specific changes or accountability measures do you believe organizations like the Boy Scouts of America still need to implement today to truly protect children?

 

Scouting America already has rules for background checks, training, two-adult leadership, restrictions on private adult-child contact, and reporting suspected abuse to authorities. I want those safeguards consistently enforced in every local unit, with evidence that they are working.

I would press for independent reviews that examine whether concerns reach the proper authorities promptly, whether children are protected while concerns are investigated, and whether leaders complete corrective actions. Families should be able to read meaningful findings while children’s and survivors’ identities remain protected.

There must also be safe reporting channels beyond local leadership, protection against retaliation, and consequences for anyone who conceals abuse. Survivors should have a meaningful role in evaluating safeguards and training.

An organization should be able to show what happened after a warning: who acted, how children were protected, and whether failures were corrected.

Current Scouting policies: Safeguards and reporting and required training.

 

When the St. Louis Boy Scout Council blocked you from speaking to active troops years ago, what did that communicate to you about institutional self-preservation versus child safety?

 

In 1988, I was a father and a Den Leader offering to help Scouts recognize grooming. A Council representative rejected my proposal. As I recall his response in the book, he told me that “such delicate matters belong at home, not in a public forum.”

To me, that put discomfort about discussing abuse ahead of the opportunity to warn children. I knew how easily danger could hide behind a trusted adult’s attention, and I wanted boys to have words and warnings that Greg and I had lacked.

I still believed in Scouting’s ideals. The rejection showed me how far an institution could fall short of the values it taught. Afterward, I began writing my story at night.

 

 

What is the primary message you hope fellow survivors of childhood trauma and trafficking take away after reading your firsthand account?

 

The responsibility belongs to the adults who exploited you. Being frightened, staying silent, or feeling attached to someone who hurt you does not make you responsible for what they did. I needed decades to begin understanding that about my own life.

I also want survivors to know that their experiences matter, whether they speak publicly, seek support privately, or are still trying to find words. They deserve to decide what they share and with whom.

I spent years fearing how my family would see me if they knew. Other survivors may recognize that fear. I hope my account helps them feel less alone and gives them some room to question the shame they have carried.

 

What’s next for you?

 

I’m working on the audiobook and continuing to reach readers through interviews and outreach. I’m also working toward adapting Lost Valley — Lost Innocence as a minimum eight-episode limited streaming series, with enough time to explore the friendship between Greg and me and the consequences of what happened.

My priority is getting the story into people’s hands. If readers believe the book has merit, an honest review or a recommendation can help it reach another survivor or someone responsible for a child’s safety.

Two best friends. One hidden network. A childhood stolen under the cover of Scouting.

 

From 1964 to 1967, Kenny Tipton and Greg Connor were barely teenagers when men they had been taught to trust groomed and sexually exploited them through Boy Scout camps, trips, and activities.

 

What began at Lost Valley Boy Scout Camp outside St. Louis grew into an organized network that carried the boys through more than twenty states and into the hands of businessmen, law-enforcement officers, politicians, priests, educators, and other powerful men.

 

To survive, Kenny and Greg depended on each other. They made rules, kept secret records, negotiated with predators, and used intelligence, loyalty, and dark humor to hold on to some measure of control. As the danger escalated, they became caught in blackmail, betrayal, violence, and crimes that would haunt Kenny for decades.

 

Lost Valley – Lost Innocence is Ken Tipton’s firsthand account of stolen childhoods, institutional failure, buried secrets, and the lifelong consequences of survival.

 

But at its heart is something the men who exploited them could not take away: the friendship between two boys who protected one another when the adults around them would not.

 

Decades later, Ken finally breaks the silence.

 

Told with brutal honesty and unexpected humor, this is a survivor memoir about friendship, resilience, guilt, and the courage required to confront the past.

 

Some stories are difficult to believe because they are too horrifying to imagine.

 

This one happened.

 

Lost Valley – Lost Innocence is available at Amazon.

 

╰┈➤Book Details 

🏕 Title: Lost Valley –  Lost Innocence
🏕 Author: Ken Tipton
🏕 Genre: Memoir
🏕 Sub-genre: Sexual Assault/True Crime
🏕 Language:English
🏕 Pages: 365
🏕 Paperback ISBN: 979-8234067685
🏕 Publisher: TBRIS Media, Inc.
🏕 Publication Date: June 22, 2026
🏕 Price: Hardcover $27.99, Paperback $18.99, Kindle $7.99, FREE with Kindle Unlimited

Can you tell us what your new children’s book, Evan’s Stormy Voyage, is about?

 

Eight-year-old Evan has never crossed an ocean before.

When his parents tell him they are leaving New York for West Africa, everything familiar slips away in a blur of crowded docks, towering cargo ships, and tearful goodbyes beneath the Statue of Liberty. Soon, Evan finds himself aboard a freighter crossing the Atlantic — a floating world of roaring engines, endless water, mysterious passengers, and adventures around every corner.

At first, the voyage feels magical. Evan explores the ship’s library, watches flying fish skim the waves, spots whales from the bridge, and celebrates his birthday on the open deck, lit by strings of lights. But the journey grows far more complicated when Evan meets Mateo, a quiet boy with secrets of his own.

As storms pound the ship and hurricane-force winds churn the sea, the boys form an unlikely friendship over puzzles, model ships, and long conversations about leaving home behind. Yet when Evan’s treasured airplane kit suddenly disappears, suspicion threatens to destroy the bond they have built.

Far from home and surrounded by the vast Atlantic, Evan must learn that courage is not about being fearless. It is choosing kindness when hurt runs deep, forgiveness when trust is broken, and compassion when someone needs it most.

Filled with unforgettable characters, breathtaking ocean scenes, and heartfelt moments of friendship, Evan’s Stormy Voyage is a rich coming-of-age adventure that celebrates empathy, resilience, and the power of human connection across cultures. Perfect for readers who love emotionally rich adventure stories, this second book in the Evan’s Adventures in Africa series invites children into a world of discovery they will never forget.

 

What is the main message or feeling you hope young readers take away from your book?

 

• Courage doesn’t mean you aren’t afraid. Evan can feel scared, uncertain, or overwhelmed and still keep going. That gives children a healthier picture of bravery: I can be afraid and still be brave.
• Storms are temporary. The voyage can become a gentle metaphor for difficult moments in childhood. When things feel chaotic or frightening, children can learn that they can make it through and eventually find calmer waters.
• Trust yourself and keep moving forward. Evan’s journey can encourage children to listen to their inner voice, make choices, and discover that they are more capable than they initially realize.
• You don’t have to face hard things alone. The story includes people who help Evan, reinforcing that asking for help isn’t a weakness — connection is part of courage.
• Adventure can come from uncertainty. The storm isn’t simply an obstacle; it changes Evan and teaches him something. Children can come away seeing challenges not just as things to escape, but as experiences through which they grow. 

 

The feeling I’d want children to leave with:

 

“I can handle hard things. Even when I’m scared or don’t know what will happen next, I can keep going, ask for help, and trust that I can find my way.”

And emotionally, I’d want to leave them feeling brave, hopeful, comforted, and curious — not that storms are nothing to fear, but that they are not bigger than the child facing them.

That could become a particularly strong central message: “Every child has a stormy voyage sometimes — and every child has the courage to navigate it.”

 

If your book has pictures, how does your work with the illustrator function? Do you collaborate closely or see the art at the very end?

 

The illustrator who did the pictures for the first book in the Evan’s Adventures Series was unavailable, so, with great trepidation, I did the illustrations using AI. That is acknowledged at the front of the book.

 

How can parents or teachers use your book to start meaningful conversations with kids?

 

At the end of every book in the Evan’s Adventures in Africa series, there are questions for parents and teachers to use to start meaningful conversations with kids as well as activities.

 

If your book could be turned into a movie, TV show, or video game, which format would you pick and why?

 

I would choose a movie because I think Evan’s journey would be beautiful to experience visually. The ocean, the storm, the uncertainty, and the moments of courage could create a really immersive experience for children. I also love the idea of watching Evan grow throughout the journey and seeing his emotions reflected in the world around him. A movie could capture both the excitement of the adventure and the story’s deeper message — that even when we face storms and feel afraid, we can find courage, keep going, and make it through.

When plotting out your books, do you outline everything first or write by the seat of your pants?

 

I plot out the story in an outline, which I change along the way.

 

If you could give one piece of advice to kids who want to write their own stories one day, what would it be?

 

Don’t be afraid to use your imagination! You don’t have to know the whole story when you start. Just begin, have fun, and let your characters take you on an adventure. And remember — your story is special because only you can tell it.

Eight-year-old Evan has never crossed an ocean before. Leaving behind the familiar streets of New York, he boards a massive freighter ship with his parents, bound for West Africa, where his family will live for the next four years. Excited yet uncertain, Evan watches the Statue of Liberty fade into the mist and wonders what waits for him on the other side of the Atlantic.

 

Life aboard the freighter feels like a floating world of its own. The ship carries only a handful of passengers, and Evan quickly befriends Mateo, another boy his age who is traveling to Ghana to live with his grandparents for a year. Together, the boys explore the ship’s narrow passageways, climb to the bridge where Captain Morales lets Evan help steer the vessel, and spend long afternoons in the ship’s library building model kits and solving puzzles while storms churn across the ocean outside.

 

As the days pass, their friendship deepens. Evan learns that Mateo misses his family as much as he does, and the two boys discover what it means to trust someone far from home. But when Evan’s prized airplane model kit suddenly disappears, suspicion and hurt threaten to destroy their friendship. Angry and confused, Evan must decide whether to hold onto resentment or search for understanding.

 

Meanwhile, the voyage itself grows more dangerous. A hurricane drifts far off its usual course, slamming the freighter with towering waves that leave passengers frightened and seasick. In the middle of the storm, Evan witnesses courage from the crew, compassion among strangers, and the quiet strength of his own parents as they face uncertainty together. Through the chaos of the sea and the heartbreak of betrayal, Evan begins to mature in ways he never expected.

 

When the ship finally reaches the bustling ports of Liberia, Ghana, and ultimately Lagos, Nigeria, Evan is overwhelmed by sights and sounds unlike anything he has ever known—towering cranes unloading containers, humid air thick with salt and diesel, crowded harbors alive with movement, and vibrant new cultures waiting beyond the docks. Yet the hardest moment comes when Mateo must leave the ship in Ghana. Their emotional goodbye forces Evan to confront how deeply friendship can change a person, even in a short time.

 

Filled with adventure, heart, humor, and emotional depth, Evan’s Stormy Voyage is a middle-grade coming-of-age novel about courage, kindness, forgiveness, and finding home in unfamiliar places. Inspired by the author’s experiences growing up in Africa, the story offers young readers a vivid journey across the Atlantic as it explores universal themes of friendship, empathy, resilience, and cultural discovery. Fans of heartfelt adventure stories will be swept into Evan’s unforgettable voyage as he learns that the greatest discoveries are often the ones made within ourselves.

 

Evan’s Stormy Voyage is available at Amazon.

 

╰┈➤Book Details 

➺Title: Evan’s Stormy Voyage
➺Author: Karen Charles
➺Genre: Children’s Series
➺Language:English
➺Pages: 72
➺Publisher: BookBaby
➺Publication Date: ‎ August 24, 2026
➺Formats: Paperback
➺Paperback ISBN: ‎979-8317844738