Art in America Hardback - 2008

A funny and heartwarming novel about a down-on-his-luck writer who finally finds success and love Steven Kearney is a bumbling, overweight writer who has produced thousands of pages of novels, plays, and poemsanot a single one of which has ever been published. After being thrown out of his Manhattan apartment, Kearney is offered a position as playwright-in-residence for three months at the Creedemore Historical Society in Colorado, who want him to write and direct a historical play about the town. When Kearney arrives, all hell breaks loose. A dispute between an elderly landowner, Ticky Lettgo, and a young man named Red Fields escalates into a battle that pits local ranchers against a fringe anti-property group. Town sheriff Petey Meyers, still haunted by the death of his police partner, tries to keep the peace. As the national media descends on the town, the most extreme member of the activist group initiates a diabolical plan that could sabotage everything. Amid all the tumult, Kearney pens a play that brilliantly captures the history of the town. In the process, he realizes heas too old to keep beating up on himself and finds lasting love. With its lively characters and spellbinding pace, Ron McLartyas new novel is sure to please.