Magpie
Published on 23. October 2021
Book
Paperback/Softback
338 pages
978-0-9930424-5-4 (ISBN)
Description
Chain O'Lakes State Park
Spring Grove County
Illinois
Drop a rock into a still lake
and sit back to watch the ripples grow...
Set in contemporary America, this novel tracks the ripple effect of the arrival of a young couple in hiding from a religious cult on the quiet lives of the local people of 'Chain O'Lakes' Illinois, exposing their pasts. Character driven and mainly set in dialogue, the story encompasses repression, humour, action, fatality and violence in somewhat equal measure.
78 years of age and at last finding a version of peace in an acerbic relationship with her neighbors, Maggie Gray is shaken awake by the arrival of a night-time opportunist thief.
Determined to expose them, whatever the danger, Maggie embarks on a vodka-fueled journey that takes her back through her work at Homeland Security to the very dangerous foundations of her lonely life.
'Kowalski he say... not all souls catch fire.
God made me not strong for to blow
spark... but you are strong woman...'
More details
Language
English
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Unsewn / adhesive bound
Dimensions
Height: 198 mm
Width: 129 mm
Thickness: 19 mm
Weight
360 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-9930424-5-4 (9780993042454)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Bill Allerton lives and works in Sheffield UK. His partner, Bryony Doran, is also a prize-winning author. Bill retired from a successful business to write for a living, but mostly that's become 'living to write', given that so few authors actually make it to the megabucks stage. During his working life Bill has had many occupations, giving him a broad experience from which to draw new lines for his characters, so if you feel that you know them... perhaps you do... perhaps it's you...His influences are: Ray Bradbury, Malcolm Lowry, Herman Melville, Thomas Pynchon, Arthur C. Clarke, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Cormac McCarthy, Keith Waterhouse and Spike Milligan. Prizes: Fish Prize 2001 (Story anthologised and attended West Cork Literary Festival to read his submission 'To Kill a Wish')Chesterfield Pomegranate Theatre: New Playwright Awards'To Kill a Wish', the Fish Prize story, reworked for the stage and performed live.BBC Radio Sheffield: Six pieces of short fiction recorded and broadcast.Past Mentors (at least a week in the company of each)Anne Enright, Colm Toibin, Bernadine Evaristo, Ruth Padel, Peter Sansom, Berlie DohertyNoted writers he has worked with closely in the publishing of an anthology of short fiction ('Watch & Wait', 2014) on behalf of The Lymphoma Association.Ian McMillan, Marina Lewycka, Bryony Doran, Susan Elliott Wright, Berlie Doherty, Angela Robson, Judith Allnatt, Danuta Reah, Lesley Glaister, Caroline Pitcher, Kirstin Zhang, Henry Shukman, David Swann and Jemma Kennedy among others.