Bruce Blizard's latest novel explores the bonds that hold families together—and the secrets that threaten to tear them apart.
Author Bruce Blizard has officially released A Better Place, a 232-page literary fiction novel that deftly intertwines family loyalty, personal truth, and the yearning for something beyond survival. Set in the remote wilderness of the Blue Mountains near Pomeroy, Washington, this emotionally charged book invites readers into the life of a 12-year-old girl whose story of love, loss, and escape resonates long after the final page.
A Better Place opens with a tense standoff in the mountains between Sheriff Tom Bennett and Jake, a desperate father who vanishes into the night with his daughter June on horseback. What follows is a carefully layered account of the events that led to that moment: the death of June’s mother Sarah, a fiercely intelligent and unconventional woman who shaped her daughter's sense of identity and truth; the spiritual and emotional survival of a father and daughter in isolation; and the mystery of what it truly means to seek "a better place." Narrated in part by June herself, the novel explores themes of self-reliance, legacy, and the quiet resilience forged in wilderness.
Author Bruce Blizard shared his thoughts on the inspiration behind the novel:
"I taught high school English for two years in Pomeroy, Washington, and I was deeply moved by the kindness and strength of the people there. This novel is dedicated to them. In many ways, A Better Place is a love letter to the landscapes and communities that continue to shape me. The story is fiction, but the emotional truths—of parenting, growing up, and facing the unknown—are very real."
A Better Place is now available for purchase through online book retailers, Amazon, and selected independent booksellers. Readers can also access information about the book’s characters, inspiration, and reading group discussion topics via the author’s official website.
About the Author:
Bruce Blizard is a former high school English teacher, editor, and storyteller with deep roots in the Pacific Northwest. His teaching experience and personal love for literature inform his vivid prose and well-drawn characters. Blizard’s previous work includes essays, short fiction, and educational materials. A Better Place is his most personal and ambitious project to date, offering readers a complex, reflective, and ultimately hopeful narrative about the ties that bind us and the truths that set us free.