Kirk Ward Robinson, author of “Ridley Speaks”
“Ridley Speaks” by Kirk Ward Robinson
Hailed as “a must-read” by Booklife, “Ridley Speaks” is now available nationwide
NASHVILLE, TN, UNITED STATES, December 6, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ — HighlandHome Publishing announces the release of Ridley Speaks by Kirk Ward Robinson.
Tennessee novelist Kirk Ward Robinson delivers an irresistible, finely-honed character-driven novel in his latest work, Ridley Speaks. A story about a determined young woman who sets out on a single-minded mission to find a better life, Ridley Speaks (Highland Home Publishing) is published in trade paper (ISBN: 979-8988681519, 272 pages, $16.99) and eBook ($6.99) editions and is available wherever fine books are sold.
About Ridley Speaks: In a sun baked southern town near the famous Appalachian Trail, poverty and drug abuse have taken hold. Eighteen-year-old Ridley Speaks finally comes of age and can now flee to a better future.
Born in the Appalachian mountains under a tree during a howling storm, Ridley has no known father—only her mother Blaize Speaks, a tougher-than-nails, fierce but damaged recovering addict. The nebulous pieces of Ridley’s lineage are shrouded in mystery, as if it were some deep family secret too shameful or scandalous to tell. And Blaize, ever resolute and unyielding, isn’t telling.
When Blaize moves the family to tiny, impoverished Bilbo, Ridley, along with siblings Tommy, Timewall, Robbie, and Priscilla, are forced to weather violence, drugs, abject poverty, hunger, Blaize’s combustible temper and hardened life advice (“Some people are too soft ta live in this world, Ridley, an’ we ain’t them.”)
With her beloved Martin Junior guitar and little more than the clothes or her back, Ridley sets out toward California, reasoning it is “the farthest place [she] can get to from here.” When her plans are upended and she winds up on the streets of Nashville, Ridley’s dream of escaping plunges her into a nightmare. Though smart, self-reliant, and independent, Ridley is inexperienced and falls prey to a dangerous scheme that has deadly consequences.
When she sets out for revenge, Ridley finds courage from an unlikely source—the person she has come to hate—and realizes that her harrowing upbringing prepared her for the worst that life can dish out.
Confident, beautifully written, and resplendent with wit, grit, and remarkable realism, Ridley Speaks is unforgettable. With its meticulous plotting, irrepressible protagonist, and a colorful cast of characters who spring to life from within its pages, Ridley Speaks is mesmerizing. Kirk Ward Robinson’s exquisite, uncompromising narrative voice, masterful storytelling, and seamless interweaving of vignettes from Ridley’s past combine to create a powerful and moving tale that will stay with readers long after the final page is turned. An extraordinary story extraordinarily well-told, Ridley Speaks is captivating.
According to Booklife (Editor’s Pick), “What hooks from the start is Ridley’s unbending character…steady, realistic, and imminently believable…this is a must read.”
Ridley Speaks is the third release in Robinson’s Speaks Saga, following Timewall Speaks and Blaize Speaks.
Kirk Ward Robinson, a four-time Appalachian Trail thru-hiker, was born and raised in south Texas and has since lived in every continental American time zone. He is an inveterate hiker and cyclist, which is how he prefers to travel and explore the world. Robinson’s wide-ranging career has included roles as a chief operating officer, bookstore manager, stagehand, bicycle mechanic, and executive director of an educational non-profit organization in cooperation with the National Park Service. Robinson is the author of fifteen novels and memoirs. He lives on an ancestral farm in middle Tennessee.
HIghlandHome Publishing is an independent book publisher based in Nashville, Tennessee. Members of the news media wishing to request additional information about Kirk Ward Robinson or Ridley Speaks are kindly asked to contact Maryglenn M. Warnock by email: maryglenn@maryglenn.com
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