Almost Heaven - Softcover

Kirkpatrick, Thomas N

Softcover

ISBN 13: 9798893895070

Publisher: Arpress, 2024

Synopsis

Almost Heaven was originally titled Ballengee. I wrote during the early 80s while driving an eighteen-wheeler across the fruited plain of America and Canada. The characters of Almost Heaven are based on my memories of folks I knew while spending time with my summer parents on the farm in Ballengee, West Virginia. My Summer parents were named Lester and Fonda Lively. Ballengee was a farming and dairy country filled with unique folks. I started going there in 1954 and continued each summer until 1965. I always thought fiction was born of truth, and I filled Ballengee with fictitious characters from impressions of the folks I met there. The storyteller of the work never revealed his name, but if he had, it would have been Ragamuffin. It was a name given to me by Lester when asked who the little boy was hanging around him in the summer. Lester said, "Why, he is my Ragamuffin." Ballengee is a real place, and I turned it into a small town filled with interesting folks who made it Almost Heaven.

About this title

About the Author

I am the fourth child of Dr. Robert William and Rosemary Kirkpatrick. I was born in 1950 In Saint Albans, West Virginia. In 1963, the family moved to Sarasota, Florida, and now lives in Plant City, Florida. My early childhood was in Hinton, Virginia, from 1951 to 1955. I spent a lot of time in Ballengee during the summer months with my summer parents until 1965. After graduating from High School, I joined the Army. After the Army, I drove an eighteen-wheeler cross-country for twenty-seven years. I worked for a driving school, teaching driver theory to students learning to drive those big trucks. Today, I am an associate pastor at First Baptist Church in Durant, Florida. It's been the best post-retirement activity and keeps me busy. My bucket list is to return to Hinton, WV, and spend my days along the Greenbrier River pondering my next home above.

Edition details

• Publisher: Arpress
• Publication date: 2024
• Language: English
• ISBN 13: 9798893895070
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 198