“A Bad Guy gives me much of what I crave in literature.”
-Michael Hetherton, Author of 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 always wanted to write a novel and once I retired I knew the time had arrived. Many people, especially those who work in communications, think in the back of their minds they’d like to try their hand at fiction someday, the only thing different is I 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. Using those two literary themes I based the fiction of A Bad Guy in Regina, Saskatchewan where I grew up in the 1970s. By choosing a setting and an era close to my heart, I hoped to lend a ring of truth to the telling.
The story begins with a street fight in 1972 in the gritty Regina north end. An insecure adolescent sees the battle which sparks admiration from him for the tough teenage victor renowned in their neighbourhood as “a bad guy.”
A Bad Guy explores masculinity and morality and examines uneasy notions of good versus bad. I wrote it in large part as a tribute to the memories of three friends I looked up to in my youth as wiser than me in the ways of world. One of them used to insist I had a book in my soul. And here it is.
Wrong side of the tracks stories are compelling and stories of parental cruelty are at the heart of many of our fairy tales. Using those two literary themes I based the fiction of A Bad Guy in Regina, Saskatchewan where I grew up in the 1970s. By choosing a setting and an era close to my heart, I hoped to lend a ring of truth to the telling.
The story begins with a street fight in 1972 in the gritty Regina north end. An insecure adolescent sees the battle which sparks admiration from him for the tough teenage victor renowned in their neighbourhood as “a bad guy.”
A Bad Guy explores masculinity and morality and examines uneasy notions of good versus bad. I wrote it in large part as a tribute to the memories of three friends I looked up to in my youth as wiser than me in the ways of world. One of them used to insist I had a book in my soul. And here it is.
The Settings
Actual locales made their way into this book. I attended Albert School in Regina and then Scott Collegiate. The birthplace of the Girl Guide cookies is only a few houses north of Albert Library.
Image via hippostcard.com
The only hockey I ever played was as a kid on the outdoor rink at Dewdney Playground where we were all sure we were one step out of the NHL. Regina’s Sportsmen’s Den was popular, though at most I ventured inside twice. I visited The Paddock Lounge more often but was far from a regular.
The story begins in 1972 after the Canada/Russia hockey series. Canadians my age can relate to that event. The tale winds into the 21st Century. In 2003 Maclean’s Magazine published an article naming my old North Central neighbourhood as the most dangerous and crime-ridden in Canada. At this writing the library and the high school are now in a brand spanking new community centre called Mâmawêyatitân, a Cree word meaning “let’s all work together.” What it represents is hope for the future. Any 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 so that’s why it’s in there. I used to enjoy watching baseball (Baby Expo) games at Foothills Park. And it was fun careening south down the gentle twists and turns of Elbow Drive and always thought it’d be perfect for a car chase.
I heard someone say that writing letting you taste memories more than once. That’s about right.
I heard someone say that writing letting you taste memories more than once. That’s about right.
A Bad Guy: The Book Cover
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The New Utopia Café long was a popular place to visit in the 1970s and 1980s. The owner Roger Ing will always be considered a one of a kind human being bursting with creativity that made him a greater artist than cook.
Roger’s artistic experiments became known locally and beyond as Rogerism. I was honoured his family permitted a painting for the cover. The title character comments that “North enders are like sparrows.” It's a stretch for the art to ornithologically connect to the prose but the main thing is people like seeing his work 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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