“John Charlton's A Bad Guy gives me much of what I crave for in literature, that of a familiar community and recognizable characters facing the inner conflict of making the right choices.”
-Michael Hetherton, author of the acclaimed collection of short stories entitled Grasslands.
ABOUT THE BOOK
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A Bad Guy
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BOOKSTORE
A Bad Guy is available to order from most online retailers including...
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Book Details:
126 pages Black & White 5.5 x 8.5 inches |
ISBNs:
Hardcover 978-1-5255-4856-7 Paperback 978-1-5255-4857-4 eBook 978-1-5255-4858-1 |
Categories:
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Keywords:
Regina 70’s, Criminal Behaviour, Brawls, Family relationships, Manhood, Morality, Fatherhood |
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
John Charlton and his wife Sharon enjoy retirement in their home town of Regina.
A Bad Guy is John’s first novel.
A Bad Guy is John’s first novel.
Behind A Bad Guy
I retired after 25 years working in communications for the Saskatchewan provincial government and then wrote a novel. Many people who worked in communications would say they’d like to try their hand at fiction someday; I just followed through.
Wrong side of the tracks stories are compelling and stories of parental cruelty are at the heart of many of our fairy tales so those two literary themes are the basis of the fiction of A Bad Guy in Regina, Saskatchewan where I grew up. By choosing a setting and an era close to my heart, my aim was to lend a ring of truth to the telling.
The story begins with a fight on a Regina street. An insecure adolescent witnesses the battle which sparks admiration from him for the tough teenager already renowned in their neighbourhood as “a bad guy.” A Bad Guy explores masculinity and morality and examines uneasy notions of good versus bad. This is written partially in tribute to the memory of three friends who I looked up to in my youth. One used to insist I had a book in my soul, and here it is.
Early reader reaction to A Bad Guy has been favourable...
"The narration is an authentic Saskatchewan voice. You nailed it."
"It's a wonderful story."
"We thoroughly enjoyed your book."
"It was an easy read."
"Take a bow!"
"Such a great story of a guy who weaves in and out of someone's life."
"Loved it, loved the characters."
"The ending made me weep. Damn good."
Wrong side of the tracks stories are compelling and stories of parental cruelty are at the heart of many of our fairy tales so those two literary themes are the basis of the fiction of A Bad Guy in Regina, Saskatchewan where I grew up. By choosing a setting and an era close to my heart, my aim was to lend a ring of truth to the telling.
The story begins with a fight on a Regina street. An insecure adolescent witnesses the battle which sparks admiration from him for the tough teenager already renowned in their neighbourhood as “a bad guy.” A Bad Guy explores masculinity and morality and examines uneasy notions of good versus bad. This is written partially in tribute to the memory of three friends who I looked up to in my youth. One used to insist I had a book in my soul, and here it is.
Early reader reaction to A Bad Guy has been favourable...
"The narration is an authentic Saskatchewan voice. You nailed it."
"It's a wonderful story."
"We thoroughly enjoyed your book."
"It was an easy read."
"Take a bow!"
"Such a great story of a guy who weaves in and out of someone's life."
"Loved it, loved the characters."
"The ending made me weep. Damn good."
The Settings
Actual locales made their way into this book. I attended Albert School in Regina and then Scott Collegiate. The birthplace for selling cookies to support the Girl Guide movement is a few houses north of Albert Library where the story begins.
Image via hippostcard.com
As a kid the only hockey I ever played was on the outdoor skating rink at Dewdney Playground where we were all convinced we were one step out of the NHL. Regina’s Sportsmen’s Den bar was popular, but I made it there maybe twice. I visited The Paddock Lounge more frequently but was never a regular.
The story begins in the same week in 1972 as the Canada/Russia hockey series concluded and winds into the 21st century ending around the time Maclean’s Magazine published an article citing my old North Central Regina neighbourhood as the worst in Canada. The Albert library and Scott Collegiate can now be found in a brand spanking new community centre called Mâmawêyatitân, a Cree word meaning “let’s all work together.” This represents some hope for the future. Money earned from this book will be donated to assist that neighbourhood.
As for Calgary, while attending Mount Royal College I worked as a summer student at Heritage Park in Calgary, that’s why a scene is set there. I used to enjoy watching baseball (Baby Expo) games at Foothills Park. It was fun careening south down the scenic and gentle twists and turns of Elbow Drive and always thought it’d be perfect for a car chase.
Someone once said writing lets you taste your memories more than once. That’s about right.
Someone once said writing lets you taste your memories more than once. That’s about right.
A Bad Guy: The Book Cover
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The New Utopia Café was a popular hangout in the 1970s and 1980s. The owner, Roger Ing, was one of a kind. His humour and creativity made him a greater artist than cook. His artistic experiments became known as Rogerism. Roger's family permitted use of the painting, Birds of a Feather, as the book cover. Perhaps people may now discover the joys of Roger's art once again.
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The author and the artist at a Rogerism art exhibition at Albert Library in the 1980s.
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CONTACT
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