“Stories that hit your heart, your sense of whimsy and your memories of different times - – writing about the south of the fifties in a nostalgic and loving way - with the touch of darkness.” In the first tale, Going Home, a small-time hoodlum, being led to the electric chair, remembers he has a few things he wants to do before he leaves this earth. In Boone, an eight-year-old tells the poignant story of an aging, crippled farmer who has a psychotic love for his wife. Two social misfits risk it all to love an unwanted child in For Love of Daniel. Cousins Billy and Roy, constantly spying on tenants of their grandmother’s rental houses, bite off more than they can chew in the haunting Gothic tale Annie. Alma Dawson’s life is turned upside down in The Agreement when she tries to raise money to pay for her daughter’s last year of college. In The Surrogate, a young woman conspires with her uncle to commit murder. A dying ten-year-old takes revenge on his tormentor in Serpentus Saragossii. In the suspenseful Tembo Makaburi, karma catches up with a greedy, arrogant big game hunter. In the final novella, The Angel Years, the Johnsons get an unexpected visitor while trying to protect a family secret. “I will add John Isaac Jones to my list of must-read southern authors!”
What a story!" - Amazon reviewer After the Johnson family learns the youngest daughter is pregnant and unwed, they devise an elaborate plan to keep it a secret from the outside world. Part of that plan includes a lavish lie which is designed to make the scheme seem more believable. Once the child was born, however, this lie would not only come true, but change the lives of every member of the family. A story about an unwed mother, sibling rivalry, dark family secrets and a visit from an angel.
Did you ever have a friend who would make you do things you would never do on your own? A friend that made you act so different from your regular self that you didn’t recognize yourself when you were with them? John Chance has such a lifelong friend, Jesse Trubble, who has an unyielding zest for life that is infectious—captivating and influencing John’s actions and relationships for over fifty years of their lives. In 2021, John is in a retirement home, and to pass the time, begins to relate the story of the best friend he ever had. By the age of eight, Johnny is motherless and his father is an alcoholic. His life is empty until he meets Jesse Trubble, a boy who is also motherless but whose father loves him and treats him and Johnny well. Together, the boys stir up adventure and trouble, which lasts a lifetime, whether it is playing cowboys, leading fugitives from justice to freedom, plotting the murder of bullies, fighting in Vietnam, or running weapons in Peru. Can Jesse, whom others view as a “bad influence” on Johnny, mend their friendship when a rift occurs? Or will they remain estranged, unable to get past their differences? Bird of Time is a coming-of-age novel that spans the 1940s through the 2020s, the nostalgia of these modern times creating a backdrop for the exploits of Johnny and Jesse.
The Hand Of God is a story of murder, redemption and the search for God. It is a fictionalized story based on Florida's Chillingworth murders. Bobby Lincoln, a young African American, is the central figure in this tale. The book is beautifully written and very deep. You can't read this book without being influenced by the undertones of religion, God, redemption and forgiveness. However, it is not a religious novel but more a novel about Bobby's search for a deeper meaning of life. Bobby is a lost soul in the beginning of the novel and basically believes there is no meaning to life. As much as he thinks about religion, he can't believe in what's written in the bible and preached about on Sundays. Finding himself in jail charged with murder, he begins reading books that may help him understand what God is, the meaning of life, what his purpose is and how to lead a better life. With the help of Bags, a knowledgeable inmate who delivers books to inmates, he finally realizes he has to change if he's going to find redemption. The character development in this book is wonderful. The reader forms a great understanding of Bobby and Bags as well as all the other characters. I knew there was something special about Bags and his influence on Bobby and it was confirmed at the very end of the book. The story is really well-developed and transitions easily through all the influences and changes in Bobby's life. As Bobby grows as a human being, the story grows with him. It's an easy read that grabs the reader and doesn't let go. As Bobby questions life the reader explores the questions right along with him. I highly recommend this book. It makes you think and question your own beliefs and actions. I was never sure of Bobby's or the authors belief in organized religion until a little wink from Bags at the end. -- Seraphim0731 Amazon customer
Set in Alabama over a period of fifty years beginning in the late 1940s, this exquisite collection of fifteen short stories provides snapshots into the lives of different characters. The link between the stories is Billy, AKA William Vernon Johnson. Though they can be read as stand-alone stories, the collection chronicles the life of young Billy from a young boy to a man enjoying his role as a grandfather. Billy/William narrates several stories, but many of the stories are told in the third person, allowing for human experience to be revealed from several different perspectives. Author John Isaac Jones writes with elegant simplicity, yet his narrative is rich with detail and the keen observation of the human character. Jones's easy-going and familiar story-telling voice and descriptions place the reader in the heart of each story. The stories are simply told yet contains a paradox, an irony, a heartfelt lesson in love and life. There are many stories painting the portraits of the diverse people in William's life, but the final story, GRANDFATHERS, brings the collections to a heartwarming close. William draws parallels between his experiences with his grandfather, and his experiences as a grandfather with his own grandson, and brings the collection to a satisfying conclusion:"Both knew instinctively that nothing could stop the eternal transition from the old to the new. The forward movement of the big wheel was an undeniable certainty. ALABAMA STORIES provides a beautifully understated and compelling glimpse into human experience. -- Reviewer Maya Fleischmann for IndieReader
The kitchen from hell!! Hilarious story about a group of kitchen employees in a 1950s Alabama hotel and how they prepared the salads for the state’s annual businessman’s banquet. Not for the squeamish! Be forewarned: after reading this yarn, you may never again eat another salad! Deliciously-served dark humor! "This is a very short story regarding the staff in a 1958 hotel in Alabama. The story is well written to capture the audience’s attention and keep them engaged. The characters are interesting and well described. Overall I enjoyed the story and the narrator did a great job. I do not believe that I’ll look at salad or a buffet without thinking about this story. I received a free copy of the audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review." - Amazon reviewer
If you liked The Bridges of Madison County, you will LOVE the Duck Springs Affair!" Devoted mother Cassie Carter is hard working and dedicated to running her small farm in Georgia. She tends to her home and sickly son daily while her truck driver husband is away on long hauls across the country. Her life and values take a sharp turn when a handsome and intelligent construction worker disrupts her daily routine. Damaged romantic Paul Hamilton has a void in his life that leaves him wandering from affair to affair, empty and unfulfilled. He identifies with the haunting poetry of Edgar Allan Poe, yearning to capture an elusive love. When Paul’s highway construction company begins a new job near her home, the two start an affair, using a complicated set of signals to communicate and schedule their romantic interludes. What starts as a fling, soon develops into something much deeper. Their trip to Atlanta cements the relationship and turns their life upside down. In the Duck Springs Affair, Paul and Cassie’s worlds collide and explode. Will what they offer each other sustain and give them what they need out of life and love? Or, are they doomed to suffer the tragic consequences of their decisions as each searches for the perfect love?
America’s most famous humorist lives again within the pages of John Isaac Jones’s new biographical novel! His hardscrabble childhood; influence of his older brother Orion; his wild days out West including his passionate fling with poet Ina Coolbrith; how he wooed and won his beloved Olivia and how, after rearing three children, neither would survive the death of their oldest daughter. It's all here!
Thanks, PG!: Memoirs of a Tabloid Reporter recounts the life and adventures of reporter Billy Don Johnson during his 20 years (1975-1995) working for the fictional tabloid The National Insider. After his dreams of becoming a crusading journalist with daily newspapers are dashed, Billy throws himself into the wild world of diets, household tips, ghosts, UFOs, weird history, and celebrity scandal, all of which is designed to please Padrone Gallione (PG), the wonderful madman who was editor of the magazine. Like the tabloid industry itself, this book is a combination of fact and fiction. Within, you will find untold stories from the lives of many famous people, get an inside look at how tabloid stories are created and examine the origins of celebrity scandal in American journalism. Ultimately, this book is a tribute to the genius of Generoso Pope Jr., founder and publisher of the National Enquirer. "As someone who worked in the tabloid business for more than 30 years, I can attest to the fact that Mr. Jones's book is totally accurate - and frequently hilarious. Set around his adventures in the fictionalized National Insider - no prizes for guessing what magazine that really is - he spills the beans on some fascinating stories. Do the tabs make them up? No. But how they get the stories is fascinating.". - Phil Bunton, retired National Enquirer editor
Very satisfying!! In 1968 Walter Cravens, a big game hunter, is pursuing a mysterious bull elephant across the Serengeti plains. Accompanied by his Masai native guide, Cravens will stop at nothing in his pursuit of the elephant's ivory tusks. Even a dire warning from an old woman won't stop him from seeking the elephant's destination, Tembo Makaburi, the elephant graveyard. Jones captured me again with this story about a man's greed and arrogance. In just a few paragraphs he sketched out the setting and placed me there, baking under the African sun. It's very well written, and as always, has the perfect twist of an ending. If you're hesitating about picking up the book because you're an animal lover or don't like to read about hunting, you'll be ok with this read. It had me googling elephants and their habits, and I love stories that make me want to read more about the subject. Great read! A brutal indictment of big game hunting!" -- Amazon Reviewer.
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