Raff (Raffic) Ellis is a former computer industry executive and writer of short stories, essays, and political commentary. His first book, Kisses from a Distance, has been released August 2007 by Cune Press, Seattle, Wash. Mr. Ellis has visited the Middle East many times, having traveled to Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Syria, and Lebanon. He has always been interested in, if not fascinated by, the history of his Lebanese ancestors and the environment from whence they came. Mr. Ellis is the son of Toufic Kmeid Ellis who emigrated from the little village of Bqaatouta, Lebanon in 1914. He has as his namesake one of his father's two brothers who perished in Lebanon during World War I. His mother Angele came to the States from the Hobeiche clan of Ghazir, Lebanon in 1926. Although he didn't know at the time that the information he was gathering would prove invaluable for researching his book, Mr. Ellis began recording both his father and mother's oral histories some twenty years before their deaths. He also taped the recollections of Harris Kmeid, his first cousin once removed, in Bqaatouta, Lebanon in 1998, two years before his death at age 97. His book was born of the discovery of correspondence his mother had saved over the years from family and friends in Lebanon. After reading the letters several times, the notion that they would form the basis for a narrative took wing. An additional eight years of research and writing finally culminated in Kisses from a Distance. Kisses from a Distance chronicles a Lebanese immigrant experience. It begins with the kidnapping of the author's grandmother from a remote convent in 1895, and explores the difficulties which culminate in her husband's tragic attempt to find success in America. In the meantime, the oppressive rule of the Ottoman Empire, the ravages of the First World War, and natural disasters take their toll on the vulnerable people of Lebanon. Employing traditional Lebanese proverbs and folk tales, Kisses from a Distance also weaves the author's extensive research and visits to Lebanon into the narrative. This journey, so worthwhile for him, will reward the reader as well. A graduate of LeMoyne College with a BS in Pure Science, Mr. Ellis also has a MBA from the University of Central Florida. He spent his entire business career in the computer industry, rising from the ranks of computer programmer to CEO of an Information Technology R & D firm. Raff and his wife Loretta have five children and reside in Florida..
