A Country to Cross

The year 1908 has America experiencing a litany of social, economic and political uncertainties. Yet in the middle of this confusion has arisen the automotive industry and its nearly 300 manufacturers. Needless to say, the recipe to fail for any number of these firms looms menacingly, as their numbers are certain to be thinned. And so it goes for Loban Motor of Lisbon, Ohio. The company's financial well-being has been stretched to its limits. Out of desperation, a promotional scheme to boost sales is concocted, of sending the assistant engineer and his talented wife on what could be an impossible feat. Yet Axelrod and Katherine Lane are up for the task: to cross the entire width of the country in Loban Motor's Speed Six roadster. What stands in the way are thousands of miles of primitive roads, mechanical failures and perhaps strange individuals of questionable motives. Meanwhile, that the flighty owner of the company could remove his backing during any leg of the journey is a constant concern. Thus begins the adventure in all its glory and complications.

A native of the Lone Star state, with a B.S. in wildlife biology from Texas A&M University, Mark Gallik has combined his love for history with his background in science and his penchant for research. But whereas his previous novel, "A Private and Her Foes," is a story of both tragedy and hope, his current work, "A Country to Cross," is one of pure satire. Indeed, the idea that America in 1908 has much in common with the country of today was impossible for him to resist.