Although it’s easy to get focused on your own…writing, I think it’s important to always, always, keep reading. I’ve been fortunate since I’ve signed with Putnam to be “unofficially” introduced to some newer Putnam writers (like me) and their debut novels, and I wanted to make sure I highlighted one such book I just finished, and another that’s on the way.
Just this weekend I finished David Joy’s WHERE ALL LIGHT TENDS TO GO, and it’s a stunner. In the tradition of Danny Woodrell’s WINTER’S BONE, it’s a “country-noir” set in and around Cashiers, North Carolina. It focuses on young Jacob McNeeley, the “heir” to his father’s meth running ring. Jacob hopes to flee the life destined for him with his first true love, Maggie, but finds it difficult to escape the bonds of blood and duty that keep him tied to his family and his mountain home. It’s a wonderfully written book, that in spare, but powerful prose evokes Jacob’s life and his hardscrabble town in the North Carolina hills in each and every sentence. Punctuated by beauty and violence, its a helluva read. Run, don’t walk, to pick this one up, and it’s out now. 
The second book is due out in July, and it’s Brian Panowich’s BULL MOUNTAIN
. This is what Brian has said about the book:
BULL MOUNTAIN was born of my fascination with the people of my home state of Georgia, particularly the North Georgia Mountains. The story centers on a small town sheriff trying to distance himself from his family’s criminal empire. In the forties and fifties, Clayton Burroughs’ family ran moonshine over six state lines. In the sixties and seventies, they farmed the largest above-ground marijuana crop on the East Coast. By 2013, Clayton’s home of Bull Mountain, Georgia, had become one of the largest suppliers of methamphetamine in the tri-state area.
When a federal agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms shows up in Clayton’s office with a plan to shut down Bull Mountain, his agenda will pit brother against brother, test loyalties, and lead Clayton down a path to self-destruction. At its heart, BULL MOUNTAIN is a story about family, and the lengths a man will go to protect it, honor it, or, in some cases, destroy it.
To date, early reviews of BULL MOUNTAIN have been fantastic, and I can’t wait for this to hit the shelves.
I know that reading good writers only spurs me on to work harder, and write better, and these are two great ones. There’s also nothing better than finding a writer early in his career, and getting to watch them grow and evolve over the course of several books. Catch up with David Joy and Brian Panowich now, and see where they are in five years…
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