Pick up a copy of local author, Mark Berton's book, Aroughcoune at Werner Books & Coffee on Saturday May 23 from 12-2 PM! Aroughcoune follows the store of Zin and Bill who just want to enjoy a summer weekend camping and getting away from it all when their plans are thrust into a bizarre kill-or-be-killed nightmare pitting them against the aroughcoune. A mysterious Game Warden, Doug Slotter, tracked the aroughcoune from his home in Griswold, Connecticut, to Algonquin State Park in Western Pennsylvania, and becomes the teens' unreliable introduction to the chaos. Created in a secret government lab on Plum Island, the aroughcoune is a genetically-modified killing machine - a diabolical experiment gone awry. Fortunately, they find Algonquin's Game Warden Monique McKesson, a confident and steadfast woman of color who helps shepherd the boys through their weekend of peril. Along for the ride is Mingan Jones, a Native American herbalist who lives in the park thanks to a grandfather clause recognizing his family's pre-existing claim on the land. His unique background brings Native American folklore into the fold to help the band of unlikely heroes take on a danger much bigger than themselves. "Aroughcoune" brings all of their destinies together in a quirky, horrific maelstrom of confusion and danger as they discover the classified origins of the monster that has torn their weekend asunder. Working as a team, they discover inner strengths they never knew they had, the mysterious government agents tracking the creature, and whether or not the aroughcoune is alone. Mark Berton, author of "Aroughcoune," "Dixmont State Hospital" and "Moon Township", has been writing his entire life. A former general assignment reporter for a local Pittsburgh daily newspaper, a former magazine editor, and a proud father, Berton earned two Society of Professional Journalists Spotlight awards for his news writing. He lives in Western Pennsylvania with his wife and daughter.
