“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. Then I wrote a novel. Many people who work with words say they’d like to try their hand at fiction someday, I just happened to follow through.
Wrong side of the tracks stories are compelling and stories of parental cruelty are at the heart of many of our fairy tales. 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.
The story begins with a Regina street fight witnessed by an insecure adolescent 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.
Reader reaction to A Bad Guy has been gratifying...
"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. 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.
The story begins with a Regina street fight witnessed by an insecure adolescent 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.
Reader reaction to A Bad Guy has been gratifying...
"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 like Albert School, Albert Library and Scott Collegiate worked their way into this book.
Image via hippostcard.com
The only hockey I ever played was on the outdoor skating rink at Dewdney Playground where as kids we were all convinced we were one step out of the NHL. Regina’s Sportsmen’s Den bar was popular, but I drank it there maybe twice. I visited The Paddock Lounge more often but was never a regular. I called it seedy in the fiction but the place wasn't really too bad.
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 hope for the future. Money earned from this book will be donated to assist that neighbourhood.
Calgary had some settings included too like Heritage Park and Foothills Park and the scenic and gentle twists and turns of Elbow Drive.
Someone said writing lets you taste your memories more than once. That seems about right.
Someone said writing lets you taste your memories more than once. That seems 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. Owner, Roger Ing was one of a kind. He had humour and creativity and I think he loved making art more than cooking. His artistic experiments were known as Rogerism. Roger's family permitted Birds of a Feather, to be used as the book cover. It would be nice if people once again found the joys of Roger's art.
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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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