Southern Regionalism Magical Reality Novel Set in Kentucky

Thistledown, a novel of Southern regionalism and magical reality set in Kentucky, is Pilgrim's Progress meets the Age of Aquarius meets the Waltons. It is the story of a naive young man who meets, then loses a magical woman who transforms his life.

LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY (PRWEB) May 4, 2004 --Thistledown, by Alfred D. Byrd, a novel set mostly in real and fictional locales of Eastern Kentucky, has recently been published by iUniverse, Inc.

Thistledown is Pilgrim's Progress meets the Age of Aquarius meets the Waltons. The story of a naïve young man who meets, then loses a magical woman who transforms his life, Thistledown follows Fred Bradley from his childhood as an intellectual outcast in suburban Detroit, through his tumultuous years as a student at Michigan State University in the early 70's, to his adulthood as a husband and father, an itinerant preacher, and a reputed mage and murderer in rural Kentucky. Throughout Fred's journey, Amber, the magical friend of his childhood, reappears at moments of crisis.

Thistledown follows a close-knit set of characters from 1966 to 2001. During this time they experience the New Age movement, Evangelical Christianity, marriages, family life, deaths, and a number of catastrophes that test their devotion to living their dreams. Thistledown should interest any reader interested in this period of American life, and especially as one family lived that life in an Eastern Kentucky that the reader might recognize as his or her own home.

The author, Alfred D. Byrd, has lived and worked in the setings of Thistledown. His family's roots are in Morgan County, Kentucky, and he has lived for nearly all of his adult life in Ashland and Lexington. He has earned a master's degree in Microbiology from the University of Kentucky, where he is currently working as a research analyst in the College of Agriculture.

Thistledown is available in trade-paperback and e-book formats from iUniverse at 1-877-288-4737 by phone, or at www.iUniverse.com on line.

Thistledown is also available from all of the other major Internet booksellers. Please see the reader reviews of Thistledown available on Amazon.com. Please also see the first four chapters of Thistledown on the iUniverse Web site.

Contact Information:

Alfred D. Byrd
byrdthistledown@yahoo.com
P O Box 8602
Lexington KY 40533