Brian Panowich’s newest novel doesn’t hit bookstore shelves until April 16, but it’s already received the highest of praise from his toughest critic – his college-aged daughter.
“When I I wrote ‘Hard Cash Valley,’ she didn’t say anything,” said Panowich, whose 2015 debut novel, “Bull Mountain” was the International Thriller Writers Award for Best First Novel. “She’s so unimpressed with what Dad does. When I finished this one, she was my first beta reader. She said, ‘Now you finally got it right. This will be the one you’ll be remembered for.’”
“Nothing But the Bones” is the fourth novel that Grovetown resident has set in the fictional McFalls County, Georgia, based on Rabun and Fannin counties in the North Georgia mountains, but it takes a turn from the other novels. A launch party is set for April 16 at the Book Tavern.
It pulls a bit character from his second novel “Like Lions” and fleshes out his back story.
Readers liked Nelson “Nails” McKenna, Panowich said. They wanted to know more about him so he left the door open hoping that an idea would strike, and it did in dramatic fashion.
“l was at a friend’s house in Decatur. This is the first time this ever happened. I usually get a seedling of an idea. I start somewhere and work toward that, but the entire story of Nelson McKenna who becomes Nails McKenna – the whole story popped into my mind head from beginning to end while I was watching some junk reality food show or something. I went out and talked to my phone for three hours. Then I took a year and locked myself in my closet and wrote it,” he said.
Panowich has long wanted to write a love story, and this is the result.
But don’t head to the romance section for this title. It’s got the gritty crime angle with all its trappings to it that Panowich is known for. It stays true to the Minotaur imprint, but it’s an emotional, character-driven story about two unlikely people who end up as partners, he said.
And that’s what Panowich believes prompted his daughter to tell him it was the best thing he’s ever done.
“It emotionally affected her enough to say ‘Oh my god, Dad, you’re actually good at this,’” he said.
“Nothing But the Bones” is a prequel opening in 1989, but it can be read without knowing anything about the other books in the series.
“There are characters from the other books in this,” he said. “This takes place long before other books happen, but you do get to see things that inspire Clayton Burroughs to become a sheriff. You can see the dynamic between him and his father.”
While it passed his daughter’s approval, Panowich said he’s unsure how his fans will react.
“It’s scary because people don’t expect that from me,” he said of the love story angle. “It’s either going to be an expansion of my readership, or it’s going to be my most spectacular failure ever. Honestly, I’m fine with either.”
The Book Tavern launch will be “full-on rock star” mode, said Panowich. It will begin at 6 p.m. April 16 with refreshments with a Q&A and reading at 7 p.m.
There will be t-shirts and other swag including one item Panowich is extremely excited about – a slipcover designed by him and Kenneth Benson.
“The slipcover is a pretty big deal. The book comes with the dust jacket, but the slipcover is like a VHS cassette cover-style that goes over it. It’s a cool vision of what’s in the book. There’s a personal note on the back talking about my headspace when writing it. There are stickers and bookmarks and a bottle opener,” he said.
Panowich has a busy few weeks of promotion and travel after that, but he’ll return to the area on May 10 for an event at the Columbia County Library.
While he’s excited about “Nothing But the Bones,” Panowich is already working on his fifth novel which is set for an April 2025 release. Panowich said it’s a total departure from “Nothing But the Bones.”
“Nothing But the Bones” was such an emotional ride to write. I was so invested in those characters and the gut-wrenching situation that these two characters are in. I needed to go in the very opposite direction.”
While he won’t call it light-hearted, his next novel promises humorous moments with a cast of eclectic characters with “Pulp Fiction” vibes.
Charmain Z. Brackett, the publisher of Augusta Good News and Inspiring: Women of Augusta, has covered Augusta’s news for more than 35 years. Reach her at charmain@augustagoodnews.com. Sign up for the newsletter here.
