In the Appalachian foothills, Judy and her three young boys are left to fend for themselves while her husband leaves for work on a sheep ranch out west.

Life isn’t easy in the Hawkins house during Ken’s absence, and Judy struggles to survive and provide for her sons, helped only occasionally by her brother-in-law, who also happens to be her former lover.

Stark necessity and a determination to keep her family alive and safe forces Judy to make unorthodox —and often immoral—decisions. And times become increasingly difficult as her boys encounter violence, death, alcoholism and tobacco abuse as they come of age in the isolation of the Appalachia foothills in the 1950s.

About the Author

Bill Lawson grew up in an impoverished family of fourteen in the rural Appalachians of Virginia in the 1950s and ‘60s.

He worked his way to a bachelor’s degree in education and taught English in Florida before joining the Air Force in 1970, where he became trained as a medical technologist.

In the years that followed, he settled in the Spokane, Washington, area and worked for a number of hospitals. He enrolled in the University of Washington Physician Assistant Program and worked as a family practice PA until his retirement in 2017.

He now enjoys camping, hiking, fishing, reading, and writing fiction based on his experiences growing up in the Appalachians.

He still resides in Spokane with his wife, Stephanie, who he refers to as the center of his universe.