Continuing my review of books by the authors who took part in our workshop, I'd like to introduce you to the work of Roger Hileman and Dave Hoing. Roger and I worked together at ACT and when he told me they were getting ready to publish their book Hammon Falls, I was green with envy and full of admiration. I was even more so after reading Hammon Falls, a wonderful piece of historical fiction based on Waterloo, Iowa and Roger's ancestors. Roger introduced me to the ongoing changes in publishing, including print on demand (POD).
Roger and Dave have just released a new book, A Killing Snow. I was lucky enough to do a beat read for them and write an early review.
It's hard to beat a good pioneer story. You have people who are somewhat—or maybe completely—isolated by choice, facing a climate more harsh than any they had seen before, and still dealing with the challenges of being human in the development of family and community. The Killing Snow is a wonderful addition to pioneer literature. The characters are flawed—like other humans. In the very small community of Goss Valley, Dakota Territory, people are often thrown together with others they wouldn't have associated with back East, and either have to make the best of it, or not. Both courses have consequences.
The descriptions are lovely, and place the reader in the Dakota territory of the late 1880s, suffering through the extremes of winter and summer and relishing the beautiful days in between. A murder of a shunned immigrant by an reviled citizen would not be expected to polarize the community or weave itself into unrelated events, but it does because of the complex relationships among the characters. Hoing and Hileman do a great job of defining and elaborating the context of the times: a couple of decades after the Civil War, the height of immigration, the beginnings of modern technology (the post office gets a telephone but it is useless for the time being because no one else has one.) A wonderful and enjoyable read.
Roger was one of several music majors in our department and besides working full-time and writing, he plays in a couple of swing and jazz bands. He lives in Iowa City with his wife Lu and has three grown daughters. Dave lives in Waterloo and is a librarian at the University of Northern Iowa. He is also a musician, as well as an artist and writer. Besides his collaboration with Roger, he has penned several books on his own.
It's hard to beat a good pioneer story. You have people who are somewhat—or maybe completely—isolated by choice, facing a climate more harsh than any they had seen before, and still dealing with the challenges of being human in the development of family and community. The Killing Snow is a wonderful addition to pioneer literature. The characters are flawed—like other humans. In the very small community of Goss Valley, Dakota Territory, people are often thrown together with others they wouldn't have associated with back East, and either have to make the best of it, or not. Both courses have consequences.
The descriptions are lovely, and place the reader in the Dakota territory of the late 1880s, suffering through the extremes of winter and summer and relishing the beautiful days in between. A murder of a shunned immigrant by an reviled citizen would not be expected to polarize the community or weave itself into unrelated events, but it does because of the complex relationships among the characters. Hoing and Hileman do a great job of defining and elaborating the context of the times: a couple of decades after the Civil War, the height of immigration, the beginnings of modern technology (the post office gets a telephone but it is useless for the time being because no one else has one.) A wonderful and enjoyable read.
Roger was one of several music majors in our department and besides working full-time and writing, he plays in a couple of swing and jazz bands. He lives in Iowa City with his wife Lu and has three grown daughters. Dave lives in Waterloo and is a librarian at the University of Northern Iowa. He is also a musician, as well as an artist and writer. Besides his collaboration with Roger, he has penned several books on his own.
I met Craig Hart at the Clinton Book Fair this past August. He willingly agreed to take part in our workshop. A Michigan native, Craig also lives in Iowa City and is a stay-at-home dad for his twin two-year-old sons. On my to-read list is his award-winning coming of age book, Becoming Moon.
But I did read his latest, Serenity, the start of a thriller series featuring Shelby Alexander, a retiree who just wants to get away from it all. Of course, if he could, there wouldn't be a story. Alexander moves to the small town of Serenity in Northern Michigan and gets embroiled in a murder involving a homegrown crime family and a couple of drug rings. Little cooperation is forthcoming from law enforcement so Alexander is left to deal with things on his own. Combined with concern for the safety of his girlfriend and constant calls from his formerly estranged daughter who is worried about his health and welfare, the mystery has him tied in knots. This is a page turner, has very believable characters and dialogue, as well as great descriptions of winter in northern Michigan.
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