Signs of Struggle

About Signs of Struggle

After losing his family in a tragic car accident, Thomas O’Shea finds himself driving around the Iowa countryside, trying to find peace on a quiet afternoon. But when he stops to admire a unique mailbox, he sees a beautiful, bloody woman racing down the country lane from her home, screaming for help. Not wanting to get involved, Thomas considers not helping. Eventually his heroic side wins out, one thing leads to another and he discovers an enormous plot to sell tens of millions of dollars’ worth of prime Iowa farmland.

As Thomas continues lifting up and peering under rocks in the beautiful river town of Rockbluff, Iowa, the more he learns…and the more he attracts those who will do anything to stop him. Attempts on his life are made, but O’Shea is a tough guy with nothing to lose as he struggles with the loss of his family, drinking, women, and his guilt for precipitating so much violence in this peaceful town filled with quirky and unforgettable characters.

• Complete Title: Signs of Struggle (Thomas O’Shea Mystery, #1)
• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of Pages: 300
• Publication Time: October 15, 2012
• Publisher: Neverland Publishing Company, LLC
• ISBN: 0982697163
• ISBN13: 9780982697160

About John Carenen

John Carenen

An Iowa native, I was born and raised in Clinton, home town of the American movies’ first sex symbol, Lillian Russell. I graduated from Clinton High School with no distinction, direction, or enthusiasm. I attended several colleges, graduating from the University of Iowa with a B.A. in English, then an M.F.A. in Fiction Writing from the Iowa Writers Workshop. These accomplish-ments stunned my high school guidance counselors. Later, I earned an M.A. from Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina, in Special Education.

I have had two careers. One has been as an English professor in various colleges; the other, working with emotionally-disturbed adolescents in programs in North Carolina, Georgia, and South Carolina. I am a four-year veteran of the USAF. I am happily married to my long-suffering wife, Elisabeth, who taught English to 9th graders. At the end of the day I would say to her, “Here, have some wine. And she does. And so do I.” She is happily retired.

We have two grown daughters. The elder is a tenured, published professor at Eastern Connecticut State University. The younger daughter is a published poet, living in the Greenville area and working for The Governor’s School for Fine Arts Foundation. I am unreasonably proud of my wife and daughters. We have a pitbull mix rescue dog (Lily) and a cat (Beeker) who refuses to follow instructions.

I was an English professor for ten years at Newberry College, located in the South Carolina town by the same name. I have published a variety of articles in various commercial magazines, poetry and short stories in literary venues, and a novel (Son-up, Son-down) sponsored by the National Institute of Mental Health.

My mainstream commercial novel, Signs of Struggle was published by Neverland Press in September, 2012. The sequel (2nd in a series), A Far Gone Night, was published October 2014. The third, The Face on the Other Side, was published in March, this year. I am hard at work on #4, plus another, stand-alone novel about a lonely man living in the mountains of North Carolina, who sees a murder but does not report it.

For fun, I think about working out, go on a hike every now and then, read everything from Robert B. Parker to Dorothy Ayers, and play with my dog, Lily. I also take frequent naps.

Enough about me. I’ll be adding books as I come across ones I think you’d like, including some classics from the past. Thanks for stopping in.

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