It’s the go-go
1980s when journalist Wally Pearson gets mugged in Times Square. It’s a jolt
that prompts him to throw away his career and open a cafe in his small
hometown. Little does he know that in doing so he’s about to get entrapped in
the collision of fame, fortune, ambition and love in the northwoods of Wisconsin—all
tempered with more than a little delusion.
His Loon
Town Cafe is the common meeting ground for many different forces. Chicago
millionaire Henry Van Elkind plots from his lavish summer camp a transformation
of the region. The Native American tribe, whose reservation edges the town, is
about to flex its muscle on fishing and gambling rights. Wally’s young wait staff
is more interested in romance, and his oddball trio of regulars spend much of
their time arguing over visiting space aliens, mutant fish and the availability
of wild strawberry jam.
Ultimately,
Wally is faced with decisions of who he trusts, who he befriends and what sort
of town he wants as his home.
Through it all
runs the common question of what truly matters in family, home and life. In
hearing and living the convoluted stories of his small town, Wally comes to
face his own demons and to find value in the simple truths behind love and
life.
Like a Garrison
Keillor novel, Tales from the Loon Town Cafe seeks to capture the unique
character and rhythms of small Midwestern towns. But it also recognizes the
undercurrent of despair and sometime downright loopiness that emerges when most
everyone thinks they know most everything that’s going on.
But of course they
don’t really know all, and that’s why Tales from the Loon Town Cafe is
ultimately a mystery of life.
Available in paperback and Kindle formats on Amazon and through your favorite book store.