Deep in the Forest

by Douglas Young

Elton Peabody is a thirty-five-year-old high school history teacher in a small Southern town who has a terrifying experience one night with a mysterious bright light deep in the forest behind his house. Did he encounter a UFO? A secret government project? A high-tech prank? Angels? A mental breakdown? Or something else? This is his journey to understand what happened and move on with his life in the face of increased public scrutiny. His story encompasses family dynamics (especially between Elton and his younger brother, the local sheriff), the drama of a sheriff's election, high school life as seen from a young teacher's perspective, friendship, lots of humor, a search for religious meaning, summoning the courage to face one's fears, and taking risks for romance.

192 pages, Paperback

Published July 19, 2021

Reviews

[Judy Welden · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Deep in the Forest" is a story that has everything a well-written story must have. I don't know if the author had an actual UFO encounter as I had in 1990, but he easily could have. His characters, plot and twists and turns are very believable. I liked Elton's humor and especially that of his Aunt Altoona as well as his best friend. Being from a small town, I related to all the townspeople, and all that happened in Cleburne. The story enabled me to recall driving home from a night out in Vero Beach FL with my daughter when we saw a huge, (taller than the trees) round light that followed us as we drove along US Highway 1 all the way to Fort Pierce, FL, then ventured out of sight. Because it was not yet midnight, I expected many others to have seen it. It surprised me that there was just a small article about several folks sighting a possible UFO in the Ft. Pierce News Tribune the next day. I'll never forget it and am thankful to Doug Young for bringing it back to my memory in such a thoroughly enjoyable way! Looking forward to reading his next book "Due South"! Judy Welden, author of "An Unstoppable Survivor"

[Michael Morrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

As an early reader, I have been impatiently awaiting the chance to not just review but recommend "Deep in the Forest." Another reviewer referred to Prof. Young as a "wordsmith," and he is right. Dr. Young is a very prolific essayist, and it's apparently not too big a jump to being a novelist. At least not too big for Douglas Young.
Frankly, I'm not just impressed, I'm in awe that this busy man found the time, energy, and drive to create a novel.
And to create such a good one.
I envy his ability. And I certainly recommend anyone who wants a good story to grab "Deep in the Forest." Barnes & Noble makes it easy to buy this excellent book.