When not writing, lifelong Nebraskan and US Army veteran Alan J. Bartels works a day job devoted to natural resources conservation. He’s been published in National Geographic, USA Today, Smithsonian’s Air & Space magazine – and was the editor of Nebraska Life Magazine for 11 years while serving simultaneously as the assistant editor of Colorado Life and Utah Life magazines. Alan is the author of What's Going Down in Prairie Dog Town? (2018), 100 Things To Do In The Nebraska Sandhills Before You Die (2023), and the forthcoming tile, Secret Nebraska Sandhills: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure (March 2026).

In 2025 Alan received the Friend of the Byway Award from the Sandhills Journey National Scenic Byway, and the Friend of Tourism Award from the Nebraska Tourism Commission. 

A past governor bestowed Alan with the honorary title of Admiral in the Great Navy of the State of Nebraska – quite a feat considering Nebraska’s triple landlocked location.