Jackson Ellis releases first book, “Lords of St. Thomas”

By SCOTT STEARNS
LUDLOW— Vermont writer and Okemo Valley native Jackson Ellis has released his first novel “Lords of St. Thomas.” Ellis won the 2017 Howard Frank Mosher First Book Prize for this story set in Nevada during the Depression. It is published by Vermont independent publishers Green Writers Press.

In the 1930s, during construction of the Hoover Dam, the U.S. government began buying out the residents of St. Thomas, Nevada. Yet the hardheaded Henry Lord, believing the waters of the newly created Lake Mead would never reach his home, refused to sell or vacate his property. It was a mistake that would cost him dearly.

“Lords of St. Thomas” details the tragedies and conflicts endured by a family fighting a futile battle, and their hectic and terrifying escape from the flood waters that finally surge across the threshold of their front door. Surprisingly, it also shows that, sometimes, you can go home again.

Beloved Vermont author Howard Frank Mosher described the book this way: “A dramatic story of the beleaguered Lord family, forced off their land by the creation of Lake Mead. At the heart of the book are the patriarch Henry Lord, who refuses to leave his doomed home and town, and his young grandson and namesake. The novel is both a terrific coming-of-age story and an exact and haunting evocation of a bygone time and place. What’s more, it’s a great read. I loved every page.”

Ludlow’s indie bookstore The Book Nook has signed copies for sale at the retail price of $19.95. The Book Nook will also host a book reading with Jackson Ellis on Friday July 6 at the Ludlow Town Hall Auditorium. It will be an evening featuring local talent as Jackson Ellis reads and talks about “Lords of St. Thomas”, Rachel Carter will discuss her latest works, and we will provide a Ludlow premiere of “My Name is Art” a short film based on a story by Asher Ellis. Look for more details later in the spring.