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The Timber Stone
Joshua Traxon, a former L.A.-based rock star, and B-list reality show fixture left L.A. for small-town Vermont hoping to write his memoir. Escaping a past filled with lies, reckless drunken behavior, salacious backstage tales, and death will push him to his limits, especially as he recounts it on paper for the world to read.
Josh and his frenetic pug Pickle have a Josh drinks away his pain while struggling to write, and Pickle reminds him that he's still alive, with his infectious personality and boundless love. When Josh meets Laurel, his new neighbor, along with her precocious young boy, he'll struggle with that routine as he falls in love, attempting to evolve and reconcile with his boorish former persona. A tragic death that's haunted him for years will fight to pull him back to the edge of despair, but not before Laurel's own life-changing secret knocks Josh off his feet-and deeper into a bottle. Only a journey home, where he'll unearth a forgotten childhood relic, may save him from himself. If it's not too late.
What readers are
"This book was so wonderful, it made me cry." Yvonne ARC Reader
What the publisher is
"We were so blessed to publish this book, it is absolutely fantastic. Everyone from all ages will enjoy The Timber Stone."
Josh and his frenetic pug Pickle have a Josh drinks away his pain while struggling to write, and Pickle reminds him that he's still alive, with his infectious personality and boundless love. When Josh meets Laurel, his new neighbor, along with her precocious young boy, he'll struggle with that routine as he falls in love, attempting to evolve and reconcile with his boorish former persona. A tragic death that's haunted him for years will fight to pull him back to the edge of despair, but not before Laurel's own life-changing secret knocks Josh off his feet-and deeper into a bottle. Only a journey home, where he'll unearth a forgotten childhood relic, may save him from himself. If it's not too late.
What readers are
"This book was so wonderful, it made me cry." Yvonne ARC Reader
What the publisher is
"We were so blessed to publish this book, it is absolutely fantastic. Everyone from all ages will enjoy The Timber Stone."
307 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 1, 2022
11 people are currently reading
7 people want to read
About the author
Dave Abare
2 books5 followersDavid Abare was born in Hartford, Connecticut and has spent most of his life in and around the Connecticut area. He became enamored with writing at a very young age, writing his first book, "Troll Island" at eleven years old. This work was never published, thankfully, but it was the beginning of a passion that has only intensified over his adult years.
His love of music led him to begin a part time gig as a music writer, interviewing bands for his own "Fanzine" in the mid eighties, including such Metal icons as Slayer, Metallica and Anthrax, as well as bands such as Van Halen, Blues Traveler, Motorhead and Big Head Todd and the Monsters for other publications. In the last several years, David has spent his time working on short stories, his debut Novel, "The Swing Over the Ocean," which was, in his words, “a bit of a mess” in terms of editing, etc., but an invaluable learning experience, as well as finishing his recent novel (coming in late 2022), “The Timber Stone.”
In addition to writing and music, David enjoys reading, travel, golf, Pugs (and all critters), as well as frequenting local New England Breweries, with Tree House Brewing Co in Charlton, MA being his favorite. You can follow him @AbareDavey on Twitter or look for his Facebook Author Page.
His love of music led him to begin a part time gig as a music writer, interviewing bands for his own "Fanzine" in the mid eighties, including such Metal icons as Slayer, Metallica and Anthrax, as well as bands such as Van Halen, Blues Traveler, Motorhead and Big Head Todd and the Monsters for other publications. In the last several years, David has spent his time working on short stories, his debut Novel, "The Swing Over the Ocean," which was, in his words, “a bit of a mess” in terms of editing, etc., but an invaluable learning experience, as well as finishing his recent novel (coming in late 2022), “The Timber Stone.”
In addition to writing and music, David enjoys reading, travel, golf, Pugs (and all critters), as well as frequenting local New England Breweries, with Tree House Brewing Co in Charlton, MA being his favorite. You can follow him @AbareDavey on Twitter or look for his Facebook Author Page.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
October 10, 2022
Heartwarming story
This story of an emotionally-stunted man finding purpose in life truly resonated. The conversational tone is witty, funny, and personal, reading as if you actually know Josh (the main character). The story is captivating - I'll admit, even this reader was surprised along the way. Awesome read!! 😊
This story of an emotionally-stunted man finding purpose in life truly resonated. The conversational tone is witty, funny, and personal, reading as if you actually know Josh (the main character). The story is captivating - I'll admit, even this reader was surprised along the way. Awesome read!! 😊
December 6, 2022
This book gave me ALL the feels. It was well written with such an engaging style, a captiavting storyline and well developed characters which I loved. The writing is so alluring that I felt like I was in a room with the characters and they were talking directly to me.
This book was both heart-wrenching, uplifting, funny and hopeful in equal measure and I could be reaching for a tissue one minute and laughing out loud the next. I think Pickle hasbecome my soul mate - I need that dog in my life so much. A great read
This book was both heart-wrenching, uplifting, funny and hopeful in equal measure and I could be reaching for a tissue one minute and laughing out loud the next. I think Pickle hasbecome my soul mate - I need that dog in my life so much. A great read
November 5, 2022
In his sophomore novel, Abare tugs at the heart strings while providing enormous hilarity. Laugh out loud funny. Clever wit. Sobbing tears. And chess humor, who knew?! A fresh way to understand the demons of alcoholism and reconciliation. Absolutely worth the read.
January 19, 2023
Josh, a semi-famous celebrity, moves to a small town, finds romance, and sorts through his issues to find inner peace.
I really wanted to love this book and it started out good. Then the cracks started forming.
I thought this would be mostly a romance, with some darkness. But then a dozen other themes took center stage and the spotlight became a floodlight. I guess the plot’s point is “changing oneself to a better version,” but there are streamlined, yet impactful ways of achieving that message. Change the romance to a friendship, condense or eliminate some of the plot threads and the story can still happen. But when everything is in focus, it’s hard to know where to look.
One thing I appreciate is the first-person male POV, which isn’t popular, especially in the romance-y genre. Josh has some witty/relatable remarks, such as:
You’d figure forty or fiftyish years would be enough time to work through the basics of having a meal without injuries.
I know the reason why Josh uses words like “douchey” and “obfuscation,” but that muddled vocabulary makes his narration insincere and it takes me out of the story. I think it should have been silly and grounded, or erudite and literary, not both. Also, Josh apologizes/explains some of his personality traits before I’ve even had a chance to see him in action. I’d like to judge his character for myself.
I don’t believe Josh and Laurel’s romance. Laurel’s personality isn’t tangible and many of her traits were stated and not proven. Humor, kindness, adorability, etc. have to be seen and not left in the “believe me” category. If there were more conversations between the two about regular things and if their interactions had a relaxed tone, it would’ve worked better. As it is, there’s a tinge of tension or sadness in each interaction and they weren’t allowed to just Be.
I adore Pickle, even though I hate dogs in real life. The imagery of him standing at a window with his paws on the sill is so adorable.
The general writing is…a choice. We’ve got dialogue tags like “chirped,” “jabbed” and “proclaimed.” “Chortled” is used multiple times. People shout when they don’t need to, or exclamation points aren’t used, so I’m surprised to discover that they’re shouting. Then there are the odd descriptions like “[Laurel’s] mouth erupting in teeth whiter than the Andes” and “[Laurel’s] eyes leaked down onto her cheeks.”
Overall, another round of editing would’ve helped.
Original review on Reedsy: https://reedsy.com/discovery/book/the...
I really wanted to love this book and it started out good. Then the cracks started forming.
I thought this would be mostly a romance, with some darkness. But then a dozen other themes took center stage and the spotlight became a floodlight. I guess the plot’s point is “changing oneself to a better version,” but there are streamlined, yet impactful ways of achieving that message. Change the romance to a friendship, condense or eliminate some of the plot threads and the story can still happen. But when everything is in focus, it’s hard to know where to look.
One thing I appreciate is the first-person male POV, which isn’t popular, especially in the romance-y genre. Josh has some witty/relatable remarks, such as:
You’d figure forty or fiftyish years would be enough time to work through the basics of having a meal without injuries.
I know the reason why Josh uses words like “douchey” and “obfuscation,” but that muddled vocabulary makes his narration insincere and it takes me out of the story. I think it should have been silly and grounded, or erudite and literary, not both. Also, Josh apologizes/explains some of his personality traits before I’ve even had a chance to see him in action. I’d like to judge his character for myself.
I don’t believe Josh and Laurel’s romance. Laurel’s personality isn’t tangible and many of her traits were stated and not proven. Humor, kindness, adorability, etc. have to be seen and not left in the “believe me” category. If there were more conversations between the two about regular things and if their interactions had a relaxed tone, it would’ve worked better. As it is, there’s a tinge of tension or sadness in each interaction and they weren’t allowed to just Be.
I adore Pickle, even though I hate dogs in real life. The imagery of him standing at a window with his paws on the sill is so adorable.
The general writing is…a choice. We’ve got dialogue tags like “chirped,” “jabbed” and “proclaimed.” “Chortled” is used multiple times. People shout when they don’t need to, or exclamation points aren’t used, so I’m surprised to discover that they’re shouting. Then there are the odd descriptions like “[Laurel’s] mouth erupting in teeth whiter than the Andes” and “[Laurel’s] eyes leaked down onto her cheeks.”
Overall, another round of editing would’ve helped.
Original review on Reedsy: https://reedsy.com/discovery/book/the...
July 16, 2023
Joshua Traxon is escaping a Hollywood life as a rockstar on the downside of health and age. He expects something bucolic, but is faced with a neighbor who sees him for who he is and wants more from him than he's used to. His story is told from his POV, and it's nice to see that he isn't all full of himself, but self-deprecating and rather humble. The star of the show is, undoubtedly, Pickles, a sweet and silly pug.
April 2, 2023
Josh's story is so tragic and then it comes back from there. His relationship with Laurel is also very intriguing. This is a great book about someone battling demons and how he overcomes. I really enjoyed this book. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews