Most everyone enjoys a good oxymoron--jumbo shrimp, civil war, family vacation, or Greater Cleveland! Most oxymorons tend to be clever and funny, even if they are not always completely accurate. They can also help tell a story. Kristine Anderson’s novel, “Crooked Truth,” is such a title. And it perfectly captures the twists and turns of her book’s plot with its surprise ending.
Kristine Anderson will be the Georgia Writers Museum’s “Meet the Author” presenter on Saturday, June 11, at 10 a.m., at Grove Event Center, 252 Swint Ave. SE, Milledgeville. This is Central State's Chapel. The event will be held on the lower level in the Fellowship Hall. Following the presentation, attendees will have a choice of two tours of Central State by trolley, one at 11:30 a.m. and a second at 1:30 p.m. In the down time, guests can visit downtown Milledgeville for lunch or take a tour of the Old Governor's Mansion, Sally Davis House, or Andalusia. The fee for the Book Talk is $8 per person to help cover costs; the book talk plus the Trolley Tour is $25 per person.
Dr. Kristine Anderson is an Atlanta-based writer, educator, and journalist. She earned her Ph.D. in Communicative Arts from Georgia State University, and has worked as a freelance writer for national newspapers and magazines, and taught high school English. She works part-time at Kennesaw State University and Shorter College. “Crooked Truth” is her debut novel. The manuscript received the Ferrol Sams Award for Fiction. The book was also nominated for the Willie Morris 2021 Southern Fiction Award. Kristine was also nominated for 2021 Georgia Writer of the Year.
Want a sneak preview of this suspenseful novel? Fifteen-year-old Lucas Webster doesn't mind working in the fields and chopping cotton on his grandfather's farm in South Georgia, but he hates getting stuck caring for his Uncle Robert. Born with Down Syndrome, Robert is ten years older than Lucas and follows Lucas around like a clumsy shadow. Lucas wants to get out of Crisscross and be rid of his child-like uncle, but after his grandpa dies in the spring of 1948, things change. His grandmother withdraws in her grief and Alvin Earl, Robert's half-brother, returns to manage the farm with his guns and stash of liquor. Lucas must become more than a reluctant caretaker. A hard man, Alvin Earl plans to pull Lucas out of school to work on the farm full-time and send Robert to the state asylum. When a fatal shooting occurs late one hot afternoon, Lucas must decide what to tell the sheriff. As he discovers the ties that can destroy and bind a family, he cannot reveal what really happened to the local authorities or anyone else.
If you enjoy a good story that promises lots of surprises, you will not want to miss this special event in this unique setting. Contact Georgia Writers Museum at www. georgiawritersmuseum.org for tickets.
- Contributed