Hiram Falls

A town where a mechanic talks to a ghost, sons struggle with their fathers and a man is stealing them blind. Journal (2x monthly): Fall, 2022. Novel (2x weekly): Spring 2023. Free. Text & audio.

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Nestled between three mountains and straddling a sometimes raging creek, Hiram Falls is a small Vermont town where everyone has secrets that, if revealed, will hurt those they hold most dear.

Hiram Falls is a Northern New England town that’s a hub of sorts and a place where weirdness blends into humor which hides tragedy which sparks kindness. There is a dark side, the part no one likes to look at or acknowledge: the pull of the generations before. The characters include:

• a mechanic whose brain was damaged by an accident, but who is near genius at fixing Nash automobiles;

• a spirit, seen by few, who gradually learns who he is and why he is there from birds and animals and the one man who can see him;

• a doctor who knows everyone’s secrets but keeps them quiet; and his son, a young journalist who forsakes the city, returns home only to find truths that will bring pain to the community;

• a farmer who gave up when his son was gored to death by a bull, but who unexpectedly finds new purpose; and

• two women who know the darkest secret about the most powerful man in town, but later learn that it’s not his darkest secret after all. 

This novel will begin sometime in the Spring 2023 with both text and audio. It will be free. You will be encouraged to comment, to engage in discussion, to ask me questions.

By subscribing you also will get:

• full access to a journal on my process;

• access to live discussions and events;

• and early access to the e-book and paperback versions.

I plan to take no money from this project. This is truly a labor of love and I’m confident this will be a powerful novel.

What I hope you will do, if you feel my effort worthy, is to donate to three charitable organizations that have been hugely helpful and supportive:

• The Abenaki Nation of Missisquoi in northern Vermont. Several of The Nation’s elders have helped me present the Abenaki characters in an accurate and respectful way. The community organization serves many families in northern Vermont. Please direct your donation to The Nation’s food shelf.

• Vermont Stage Company. This nonprofit professional theater group has staged my stories of five of this book’s characters and made them come alive. Its executive director will be producing and directing the audio book version.

• The Media Factory. This Vermont nonprofit provides citizens studios, equipment and access to media and public airways. It will be broadcasting Hiram Falls installments on its Burlington radio station (99.3 WBTV-LP) as well as cable stations.

If you do donate to any of these organizations, please let me know so I can ensure you get early access to the ebook and paperback when they are ready. All ebook and paperback sales will go to support independent bookstores. Amazon will not be involved.

Please subscribe. A writer’s greatest thrill is to have engaged readers.