The Astronaut from Bear Creek

TEN YEARS AGO... Retired astronaut, Jim Mayfield closed himself up inside Bear Creek Inn and hasn't been seen since. PRESENT DAY... Just when the small town of Bear Creek had almost forgotten about their reclusive and mysterious resident, a man from out-of-town flies in on a private jet to meet with the astronaut. The visit prompts the good people of the small town to begin asking questions. Who is Jim Mayfield? Why did he lock himself away? And who is the stranger that visited him? While the small town asks these questions, the most puzzling thing of all occurs when Bear Creek Inn takes in two guests.

Jim Mayfield is a very reclusive man. In his family's cloistered inn in Bear Creek, Pennsylvania, he spends his retirement from NASA carving rocking chairs and hiding from the world. His isolated life, however, begins to drastically change when his sister Mallory, a social worker, brings over an orphaned girl to temporarily reside in the Bear Creek Inn. This girl, Abbey, slowly but surely wins Jim's affection. He becomes determined to do whatever it takes to protect her...eventually she might become his daughter, even if that means travelling back toward the stars. In addition to Jim and Abbey, another guest comes to stay in the Bear Creek Inn. Kelley is the focus of an equally enthralling subplot in which she must overcome the loss of her soldier-husband and his unborn child and start a new life. "The Astronaut from Bear Creek" is a wonderful second novel by Nick Allen Brown. The characters are dynamic and memorable. The story will tug at readers' heartstrings. Furthermore, the settings, from backwoods Pennsylvania to training facilities at NASA, all feel genuine and well researched, giving the book an added element of authenticity. "The Astronaut from Bear Creek" is close to interstellar!

Nick Allen Brown is an award winning American author who was raised on films directed by Ron Howard, Brian DePalma, George Lucas, Steven Spielberg and Francis Ford Coppola. While the art of filmmaking was an option for Nick, he ultimately chose the life of a novelist. His early works include the critically acclaimed Field of Dead Horses and The Astronaut from Bear Creek. He lives in Kentucky with his wife and twin children.