Ken Tingle, author of the local best seller The Girl in the Italian Bakery, is getting great reviews for his latest book, Strangeville.
Like The Girl in the Italian Bakery, Tingle works scenes from Lawrence into his latest story. Here is the excerpt from the back cover:
Need a good laugh? Strangeville is a different kind of story that draws the reader in and keeps them wondering what will happen next. The story is a dark comedy about a suicidal young man named John Campbell who, after a failed suicide attempt, heads to Virginia to visit an aunt he hasn’t seen in ten years. But his rental car runs out of gas deep in the mountains. When he decides to walk in the middle of the night, he winds up in a town that is isolated from the rest of the world—Strangeville. Unable to leave, he meets an assortment of loveable oddball characters—the beautiful Delilah, Klemm Johnson, Clarissa Puddworthy, Biff Flannigan, Jeboriah Varmint, Cleetus McChoparooski, and others.
So, if you want a different kind of reading experience, and you’re tired of the same old cookie-cutter writing, check out Strangeville. Readers love it!
Many of the reviewers on Amazon appreciate the funny, but wholesome nature of the story. Quite a few wish they could find their own Strangeville and live there. The book is different from your typical “cookie cutter” novel of today. Again, many readers appreciate the uniqueness of the story. In the short time it has been out, Strangeville has been read by thousands of people from coast to coast.
For the entire summer, Tingle is giving half of all profits to Lazarus House and Cor Unum, two charities in Lawrence that provide free meals to the needy, along with job training, shelter, and clothing through thrift shops. So read a great book and help someone out.