The Down Johns Collection: Stories of Ugly Truths

Spanning a period from the mid-sixties into the new millennium, the linked stories that comprise The Down Johns Collection: Stories of Ugly Truths feature a cast of characters who are irresistibly, undeniably real. Lydia Belcher is determined to escape a life of poverty, and she finds an unwitting accomplice in Bill Mullins, a spoiled, reckless moonshine runner from a powerful family. Virgie, their niece, narrates six unique and humorous stories from behind the bar at a local dive called the Rio D., while around her murder and mayhem reign as one cousin attempts to flee a life of domestic violence by stepping in front of a train, another cousin is haunted by a supernatural being that feeds on secrets and lies, and her sister deals drugs and witnesses the horrific price innocent lives pay by living in the same dingy community with coal trucks throwing up dust, coal miners with their broken backs and black lungs, punks in jacked-up trucks with Confederate flags and no futures, slurry ponds, rust water, teenagers spitting out babies, and desperate addicts leaning over a doctor’s table.

About the Author

Traci Dolan-Priestley began writing fan fiction, poems, and short stories when she was twelve and won her first writing competition when she was 17. She obtained her Masters in Creative Writing from Goddard College. This is her first short story collection. She lives in her home state of West Virginia with her family and pets.

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