A Place to Rest Cover

Tom Miller

The personal story publisher.

Iowa Publisher, Legacy Book Press LLC, Publishes Bettendorf Resident/Alabama Native, Tom Miller’s A Place to Rest

CAMANCHE, IOWA, UNITED STATES, February 23, 2022 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Legacy Book Press LLC has released its latest personal story, a historical novel by Tom Miller. A Place to Rest is a journey of discovery through the rapidly changing landscape of the post-World War II American South as viewed from the perspective of best friends, Mildred Morgan and Janet Bell, who part ways but correspond regularly after college. Despite their geographical separation and different paths, both are buffeted by the winds of change sweeping through the South in the 1950s. Sharing their hopes and fears, dreams and nightmares, triumphs, and tragedies in a vivid and unsparing correspondence, Mildred and Janet continue to navigate a journey to find meaning and hope in an indifferent world.

About why, as a Bettendorf, Iowa, resident, he set his book in Alabama, Miller said, “Because that’s where I grew up. Once I decided to set the novel in the post-World War II era, Alabama made sense because it was what I know best. Like one of my characters, I’m one of the original Baby Boomers. I was born in Dothan, Alabama, and raised in nearby Ashford where I was a member of the Class of 1964, the first Boomer class to graduate high school. All the themes I wanted to explore could be found in the history of the region, so it seemed a logical choice for me.”

A Place to Rest is a little different than the books normally published by Legacy Book Press. Miller explained how his book fits as a personal story: “The town of Grover’s Fork in the novel is fictional, and so are the characters. It’s not the small town of Ashford where I grew up, though it rhymes with it. It also rhymes with hundreds of similar small towns across the state. All the characters are products of my imagination except for historical figures like Martin Luther King, Jr., George Wallace, Minnie Sayre, Autherine Lucy, et.al. I was trained as a historian and have tried to present historical figures and events as factually as possible. Beyond the historical events portrayed, the narrative is shaped by my imagination, not my autobiography. That doesn’t mean that I don’t draw on personal memories, observations, and lessons learned. What writer doesn’t? But any actual event or memory is used fictitiously. No one should see themselves in any of the characters. Nor should they see me. Baby Boomer, James, in the novel idolizes Mickey Mantle, devours the Hardy Boys mysteries, and rocks to Elvis and Buddy Holly. I did too. But, so did millions of Boomers. I also picked my share of cotton.”

Tom Miller was born and raised in the Alabama Wiregrass when cotton was still king and mostly picked by hand. He attended the University of Alabama, did a stint in the U.S. Army, and eventually settled in corn country, a.k.a. Iowa, where he taught history at Scott Community College in Bettendorf. He is the author of six novels for middle-grade readers and scores of articles, essays, and reviews for journals, magazines, and newspapers. He also served for fifteen years on the Board of Directors of the Children’s Literature Festival. Now retired, Tom lives in Bettendorf with his wife of forty-one years, Connie. They have a son, David, and two grandsons, Dylan and Ryan.

Legacy Book Press LLC, founded in 2020 and based in Iowa, seeks to publish personal stories told via non-fiction, autobiographical fiction, poetry, or a combination of the same. A Place to Rest is its 12th publication, with at least eleven more already in production for release later in 2022 and in 2023.
Learn more at https://legacybookpress.com/place-to-rest/.

Jodie Toohey
Legacy Book Press LLC
jodie@legacybookpress.com
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