The Bridge Over Cedar Creek by Michael W. Paul

Use the "Look Inside" feature on Amazon. Link here.

 

Meet the author on Monday, April 14th on The Doug Dahlgren Show- a weekly radio show every Monday at 7PM Eastern on Artist First Radio Network and tune in your computer to listen live.

 

 

 

See What They Are Saying On Amazon Reviews.

 

 

About the book:

 

The Bridge (Over Cedar Creek), constructed during a distant summer over a small Colorado stream by a boy and two curmudgeonly old men, serves as a metaphor for timeless life lessons learned and the beginning of the boys coming of age. Although fiction, the book is taken from real events and some real people. Others are composites taken solely from the imagination of the writer and distant memories. Written in the vernacular of the time, the characters come to life with the help of the authors vivid description. The reader can feel the cool breeze off the river, smell the scent of pine and see the brilliance of the sequined mountain night sky. The Bridge Over Cedar Creek will appeal to all readers except the most cynical.

 

 

 

The story of a youngster coming of age in the late “fifties”, a worn out three wheel Cushman baggage scooter that had long since been used up by Eastern Airlines, and a kind wise old man who reached out and changed the direction of the boy’s life. 

It opens after midnight in early June 1958 on a desolate Louisiana state highway, with a young passenger riding on a decrepit old Greyhound bus travelling alone to Colorado to spend the summer working on a cattle ranch.  

That seminal summer taught the boy that life is all about choice. It is not the people or events that make the difference, but how one thinks about them. 

 

About the author:

 

Clayton Library Book Signing

 

 

Michael Paul is a lifelong dreamer, a lover of learning and new experiences. In this, his first book, he tells of a boy awakening and beginning his ascent into manhood with the guidance of a wise and thoughtful adult. He lives in Buford, Georgia with his wife of forty seven years, his faithful rescue dog Katie and a Cat.

 

 

Links:

 

Amazon paper-back

 

Kindle

 

Goodreads

 

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Scott Thompson "Young Men Shall See"

Available on Amazon and Kindle and your local book stores.

Scott is a winner of the Great American Novel contest, from Tag Publishing, for 2010.

The Book:

Sometimes peace means silence,and justice means murder.

Life for Gus Ambrose in the small community of River Falls, Georgia, is a constant struggle to seek wild adventure, understand the mystery of love and escape the pervasive boredom of high school. On the surface, River Falls is a peaceful and perfect world - a mix of quaint southern charm, happiness and safety. But the scars of the past have a way of working their way to the surface and slamming headlong into the present, shattering innocence and revealing the worst humanity has to offer.

Reviews on Amazon:

"The author describes the characters and scenes in a way that make them vidid enough to allow the reader to visualize the person and the scene that is taking place."

"Scott has a beautiful way of telling the story of 4 teens during their senior year of high school in 1980's Georgia."

"The book was written with such detail and emotion that I felt like I was with the main character Gus during this coming of age story. I found myself unable to put the book down, I had to find out what was going to happen next."

From the author:

Places, Characters, and Introverted Writers

Often my stories start out with real places, people, and events, but quickly become their own.  I like to write about what I know and to learn more about what I care about through my writing, always hoping that I might help others learn more in the process.  Writing is a solitary endeavor, but, often, is eventually shared where it is digested by others.  My novel, Young Men Shall See, is a coming of age story that takes place in River Falls, Georgia, in 1989 and 1990.  The story follows several teenagers through their senior year in high school.  This story of teenage misadventure changes when they encounter hate, political corruption, and eventually death.  They are faced with decisions that challenge everything they know, or thought, to be true.

When I write about a place, like River Falls, it is often based on a real place.  River Falls is based on my hometown of Newnan, Georgia.  When I was growing up this was a fairly small town that has exploded since I left for college over twenty years ago.  I could have used Newnan as the town, but chose to create a fictional place so that I could change the setting as needed to fit the story.  This gave me more flexibility and also allowed me to let the town become a character all its own.

Creating characters in stories is something that must be done delicately, and even though I often start with real people, the characters become their own quickly.  A character may start out 90% of the person it is based on, but by the time the character lives, they are almost completely unique and different.  Every character has a bit of me, as well as several other people, and by the time a character speaks their first words they are as unique as a child is from his parents.  There are parts of the parents in the child, but ultimately the child is his own person.

About Me:

           Like many writers I’m something of an introvert.  Writing is the perfect pursuit for introverts as it allows many hours of solitude with one’s thoughts.  It provides hours to sit quietly, dream, and create.  It can be very rewarding.  Many writers never chose to publish and simply enjoy the process of creating, but those of us that do publish become authors.  As an author you have to go against everything that is natural to introverts to promote your work.  Even the sub-head above titled About Me goes against my natural tendencies because it feels a bit egotistical.  But promotion is necessary, and there are rewards in book promotion when authors look for them.  Rewards like meeting new people; discussing books with other bibliophiles; and having others read and appreciate your writing, even if there’s always the possibility that some will not like your work. 

            Where I’m not introverted is with my family.  When I hug my family I’m reminded that I’m the most blessed person in the world.  I have a beautiful and supportive wife, who is a talented photographer, and two crazy little boys who have taught me the meaning of life.  We all live just outside of Suwanee, Georgia, with a Jack Russell Terrier that met his match when the boys were born.  Of course, I love to read, but also enjoy outdoor activities like hiking, camping, kayaking, and fishing.  

If you want to read about the teenagers from River Falls pick up a copy of my novel, Young Men Shall See at Amazon, Kindle or at your local book store.

You can interact with me on Facebook,  where I often share news about upcoming readings and other book events I think my followers will enjoy. I'm available to speak to groups about my book and writing. You can reach me via the contact form on my website.