The Bear in a Muddy Tutu - Hardcover

Alpaugh, Cole

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 160381826X ISBN 13: 9781603818261

Publisher: Camel Press, 2011

Synopsis

Lennon Bagg's daughter has been stolen away by his ex-wife, and he's just learned the newspaper he reports for is bankrupt. While on his final assignment, Bagg knocks a policeman unconscious to save the life of a runaway circus bear, and suddenly finds himself responsible for a band of stranded roustabouts who've pitched their tents on a small island along the New Jersey shore. Eight hundred miles away, a young girl searches for her dead father on the beaches of Bermuda. Dead people, after all, become birds--a theory she derived from her mother's explanation that when you die, you grow wings and fly away. A hapless cult leader and the sulking newspaper reporter hatch a plan to save the circus, which includes a plane ride into the Bermuda Triangle accompanied by a man who holds the record for being struck by lightning. And it's starting to cloud up ... In THE BEAR IN A MUDDY TUTU, hope is something vigorously avoided because it usually means someone is about to be run over by a speeding car.

About this title

About the Author

Cole Alpaugh's newspaper career began in the early 80s, starting with small daily papers in Maryland and Massachusetts, where his stories won national awards. His most recent job was at a large daily in Central New Jersey, where his "true life" essays included award-winning pieces on a traveling rodeo and an in-depth story on an emergency room doctor that was nominated by Gannett News Service for a 1991 Pulitzer Prize. Cole also did work for two Manhattan-based news agencies, covering conflicts in Haiti, Panama, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Thailand and Cambodia. His work has appeared in dozens of magazines, as well as most newspapers in America. Cole is currently a freelance photographer and writer living in Northeast Pennsylvania, where he also coaches his daughter's soccer kick-arounds.

Review

"From the first page to the last, Cole Alpaugh had my attention. His zany and colorful characters and style of writing put me in mind of one of my favorite authors, John Irving. I suspect that I have found my next new favorite author."

--Michelle Hessling, Publisher, The Wayne Independent

"Pick up The Bear in a Muddy Tutu if you enjoy taking a literary journey that is twisted, peopled by characters who are social misfits, caught up in events that range from bizarrely tragic to merely sad. Reminded me in a way of A Confederacy of Dunces."

--Molly Rodgers, Library Director, Wayne County Public Library

"Reading The Bear in a Muddy Tutu is like running away with the circus. You won't regret the emotional ride or the fantastic people you meet, but you might regret not getting to stay longer."

--Regan Leigh, writer/blogger

"A deftly written story driven by raw and vivid characters and rich with evocative language and colorful descriptions. With every page another layer is peeled back as this fascinating, magical tale unfolds--sad or humorous, but always thoughtful. Alpaugh's writing does not rely on cheap tricks or predictable plot points, but slowly pulls you in and compels you to stick around for a while. Rest assured, in The Bear in a Muddy Tutu, you will constantly be surprised by what happens next."

--Rhiannon Ellis, author of Bonded In Brazil

Edition details

• Publisher: Camel Press
• Publication date: 2011
• ISBN 10: 160381826X
• ISBN 13: 9781603818261
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 280