2019 eLit Book Awards Bronze Medalist
Running to Graceland
In the summer of 81, Jack had graduated from high school and was headed out on one last road trip with his friends: Curtis and Bruce. Jack couldn’t have imagined how out of control things would get. Curtis shoots an old man who catches them trespassing. Bruce decides to go home and face the music. Even though Jack knows he may be throwing his life away, he can’t bring himself to abandon his best friend Curtis. The two of them set out on the run.
They head north, directionless and hopeless. The ghost of Elvis haunts Jack’s dreams and convinces him to head to Graceland promising that all will be made right for him, all his problems will be solved. It becomes Jack's only hope to save his best friend and himself.
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Finalist in Rubery Book Awards, Next Generation Indie Book Awardsand SilverFalchion Book Award
Praise for Running to Graceland
A gritty and propulsive debut novel. Running to Graceland gives me what I want from fiction: compassion and provocation.
-- John Dufresne, I Don’t Like Where This Is Going
A thought provoking voyage well-orchestrated with
beautiful lines, strong characters and unforgettable images.
-- Amarilys Gacio Rassler, award winning author of Cuban-American, Dancing On The Hyphen.
Running to Graceland will have you contemplating loyalty, friendship, and that tenuous line that often separates right from wrong long after you put the book down.
-- Kim Hackett, Award winning writer of fiction
Through Jack’s voice, loyal, lost, and yearning, Slayton unfolds the most challenging adventure of all, discovering the secrets of the self.
-- Lynne Barrett, author of Magpies and What Editors Want