A great Maine story and another giveaway: Hull Creek

Hull Creek: A Novel

By Jim Nichols

Down East Books here in Maine has been putting out some great fiction this past year. They started with Paul Diorion's The Poacher's Son, and now give us Hull Creek, written by a local author here in the Mid-coast, and featuring life as it really is here in lobster land.

They tell us this much.....

Troy Hull has troubles. After the death of his parents, he left college to take up his family’s traditional lobster-fishing life. Now, thanks to poor fishing, a misguided second mortgage, and the changing nature of his hometown, Troy finds himself faced with the loss of that life. As a former high school classmate turned banker tells him: “This isn’t a fisherman’s town anymore.” Indeed, soaring property values have made it increasingly a haven for land speculators, wealthy summer residents, and tax-sheltered retirees, and Troy’s home—just off the harbor on a quiet stretch of Hull Creek—is exactly the sort of property these newcomers covet. So Troy must decide whether to join his friend on an illegal path to solvency or let the straight-and-narrow take him from his beloved home. Hull Creek is a timely tale of change on the coast of Maine and the challenges it brings to the men who still seek their livelihood from the sea.

This sounds like summer reading at its best, but I'm suspecting from the first chapter I took a look at that this is much more than a beach read - it may be fiction, but it's a reality check on life in Maine.  And the most exciting part is that Down East has given me an extra copy to give to a lucky reader.  So here's the deal on how to win:

 - Since Tina is mailing this, you can use a PO Box if that's more convenient for you.
 - US and Canadian addresses OK.
 - Leave a comment below with your email.
 - Fill out the form.
- The deadline on this one is July 5th