I met Joan Livingston on line and somehow, we connected. Both of us are writers and authors, and she and her husband lived in a part of the country, New Mexico, that I dearly love. What fascinates me about Joan’s writing is the crispness, the precision and use of words. Few, but powerful and meaningful words to tell a story.
Each time I pick up one of her books, I sink into it. Her settings are easy to see and feel. The characters are everyday, common folk, and I appreciate that. No super heroes here. Just folks like you and I.
I’ve read both books she mentions in her post and gave each a well-deserved 5 Star review. You are missing something wonderful if you don’t pick up one of her books. Here is the post from Joan Livingston:
In my mind, I maintain a list of characters that’s large enough to fill a small rural town. I create the characters, give them a big or small role in the story, and sometimes I even kill them off. That’s what happens to Al Kitchen in my latest novel, The Unforgiving Town, which has an April 7 release.
The Unforgiving Town is a sequel to The Sacred Dog. Both books stand on their own, but if Kindle readers wants to read the first for free, they can March 17-19. See the link below.
When I created the character of Al Kitchen for The Sacred Dog, he was a hell-raiser, no surprise given his tough start in life. That means drinking too much and other bad behavior, including a secret that involves a woman. He has a long-standing feud that comes to a traumatic end in that book.
I wrote The Sacred Dog many years and books ago. When I decided to take up the story again, I had a change of heart about Al. I let him be a reformed man after serving a 17-year sentence for manslaughter. While in prison, he kept out of trouble and read to pass the time. Fortunately, he had family on his side, specifically his devoted grandmother and a cousin, herself an outcast.
Is it possible for a bad guy to turn good? In my mind, yes, but not for most of the characters who know him. They are unwilling to forgive him for killing a man they all liked — hence the book’s title — and aren’t afraid to let him know.
Like most of my books, The Unforgiving Town takes place in my favorite go-to setting, the fictional hilltowns of Western Massachusetts. I’ve lived a good portion of my life in the real ones, plus as a journalist, I covered them, so I have a good schooling about rural life and the people who live there. Is Al Kitchen based on someone real? No, but I’d like to think he could live among us.
Another change: The Unforgiving Town is a mystery, but being fast-paced, I label it a thriller.
Al is found dead in the opening chapter — a departure from other books I’ve written. He was riding a bicycle late at night when it happened. Was a person or a wild animal responsible?
The next chapter shows Al alive and getting a ride home from prison by his helpful cousin, Bernie Tucker. Al tries to adjust to being back by painting the house his grandmother left him and that he shares with Bernie. For relaxation, he rides a bike she lends him. Leading up to his death, Al’s dealings with townspeople are unpleasant to say the least.
Holden’s honest police chief, Scott Stevens, feels no matter Al’s past, his death deserves to be solved — despite resistance from townspeople. Certainly, he has lots of suspects to interview, and in my author’s heart, I hope readers like the chief don’t figure out who’s responsible until the end.
Here’s what Henry Corrigan, author of Somewhere Quiet, Full of Light, A Man in Pieces, and the soon-to-be released Party of a Lifetime, wrote about The Unforgiving Town.
“Full of backwoods roads, loss and secrets, Holden is a town with a long, often painful memory and Al Kitchen has just returned to it. Newly released from prison, Al returns to his grandmother’s house with almost no family, few prospects, and the memory of the man he killed years ago. Haunted by mistakes and childhood abuse, he sets out to try and rebuild his life. He will be dead little more than a week later.
With a deft, simple hand, Joan Livingston draws us into a town that can’t forget, and puts us at the bar with people who won’t. Slow burn and beautifully written, I would recommend visiting Holden for a while. Come for the mystery, and the murder. Stay for the characters who would never leave even if they could.”
And here are the links to The Sacred Dog and The Unforgiving Town. The Sacred Dog is free March 17-19. The Unforgiving Town costs .99 cents for the Kindle version and $14.99 for the paperback. Want to check out all of my other books, including the Isabel Long Mystery Series? Here’s the link.
Interested in more of my writing, please follow me on Substack, where I post weekly and sometimes more: https://joanlivingston.substack.com/
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I hope you enjoyed this post from Joan Livingston. As I wrote earlier, if you don’t pick up a copy of one of Joan’s books, you are missing out.
Thank you for following along on my writing journey. I’d love to know your thoughts, so please feel free to use the comment section below. Until next time …
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