Hogtown: Book One

by C.J. Livingstone

A song can change your life. It can make you think differently, walk differently and feel differently. It can connect you to something bigger than the straightjacket of your hometown where everybody thinks they know who you are but nobody really knows you at all. Sometimes a song is the only thing that can guide you in a world where nothing makes sense.

Hogtown is the story of that moment in the life of Cameron Power.

Cameron is a junior who exists in the shadows at high school. He’s the kind of kid who people see but don’t know, the quiet math nerd with the unfashionable clothes, the brainiac heading for a college scholarship. But when a chance invite to a house party brings him into the realm of Kassandra, a punk rocker with a lust for life, suddenly Cameron’s world is turned upside down as he makes a startling discovery - girls and guitars. This revelation sets him on an adventure as he dives head first into all things music.

But dreams are not made in Hogtown - an industrial dead-end whose only claim to fame is that it contains the largest pig factory in the country. Cameron’s father knows that the only way out of a life in the factory is to get a college education – and the diversion into music threatens his son’s very future. With a factory strike already straining the family, Cameron’s actions threaten to tear them apart. Now Cameron must make a decision - follow the path he loves or please his father.

Hogtown is the story of musical discovery, of learning what it takes to become a musician and most all of searching for your identity when everybody else has already made up their mind who you should be.

396 pages, Paperback

Published January 24, 2017

About the author

My name is C.J. Livingstone. I’m a writer and a musician. I’m originally from England but now reside in California. I write books that mainly focus on children or young adults because I find that stage of life so fascinating, when anything seems possible. I like mixing stark realism with fantastical elements and I like the idea that imagination is all you really need to be endlessly occupied.

I didn’t actually read too much growing up as I was more into music. I only had time for my guitar. I played in many bands on both sides of the Atlantic. That was the inspiration for my first two books—Hogtown.

I’ve had the idea for my latest book Santa Inc. for well over a decade and originally I wrote it as a movie script. But it languished on my computer until I picked it up in early 2018. When I had my own family I wanted to write an enchanted story for them about Christmas, which is one of my favorite times of the year. But I chose to go with a darker take on the theme.

I’ve always liked the idea that a story can be written on a number of levels, and can be enjoyed in different ways by both children and adults. I also believe that young people’s capacity for understanding complicated ideas is quite phenomenal too so I don’t try to limit any aspect of the story.

Also, for some reason the idea of business and factories seems to be a recurring theme in my writing. I grew up in an industrial town so maybe that captured my imagination from an early age.

Reviews

[C.J. Livingstone · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. But then again I wrote it so I may be slightly biased. But it is great. I wrote the book for a number of reasons but mostly because I love stories about music and about musical discovery intertwined with real life events. I wrote this book because I always felt that I wasn't as good of a musician as I could have been, that if someone had shown me the way and if I had used all my spare time practicing or more productively I could have been a lot better. I wrote it because I love talking about music and finding new music. There's a bunch of lists through the story - best bass players, best rock albums, greatest guitarists etc. These are only my opinions but what I hope they do is get people thinking about what their favorite artists are. I filled this book with many of the experiences I had growing up playing in bands - terrible shows, weird band mates, longing for good gear - but ultimately with a bit of perspective I can see that all those things shaped me as a musician and ultimately a writer. I hope you like this book, look out for Book 2 coming out later this year and the Hogtown podcast that covers all things music. Chris

[Meg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cameron, like most high schoolers, struggles with the desire to be cool and impress his peers. His way of doing this is by shedding his nerd image and taking on the persona of a musician. It's one thing to pretend to be in a band and dress like a rocker to impress the new girl at school, it's another when you have to live up to the image you've created in front of the entire school. Cameron's attempts at finding a new identity through music and friends he wants to fit in with are relatable and sometimes cringe-worthy in reminding us how awkward we all can be at that age when we like someone. Bring on the high school flashbacks! Can't wait for the next book.