Seeds of My Field

Novel Travels Back to 1950s Florida for a Tender Yet Action-Packed Coming-of-Age Tale

Transport yourself to 1950s Central Florida among the looming cypress groves and murky swamps. A loyal hound dog and a cut-down Plymouth. And Bud, a teenager on the brink of discovering girls, but whose current devotion is coon hunting.

In his heartfelt novel, "Seeds of My Field" (published by AuthorHouse - http://www.authorhouse.com), Vic Topmiller Jr. tells the powerful story - based on his life - of a young man from a broken home forced to figure out the world on his own. Bud's story is one of rollicking fun, heart-wrenching pain and pivotal lessons as he encounters unforgettable adventures, unforgivable tragedies and very real dangers.

Lutz is a little hamlet in orange grove country, loaded with wild critters, especially raccoons, that love to devour ripe citrus. This is where you'll find Bud on Friday nights with friends and dogs, chasing the elusive, wily coons through groves and swamps.

Bud seeks refuge outside the home. He makes friends who provide meaning and security in ways that stand in stark contrast to his less-than-ideal family life. The first such friend is Ole Blue, a worn and tattered Bluetic hound. Coon hunting leads him into the company of some older guys who become his mentors. Amy, his first romance, helps draw Bud out of his shell, and he develops unbreakable friendships with a young woman and a little boy.

M.H. Salmon of High-Lonesome Books puts "Seeds of My Field" in perspective:
Shades of 'Old Yeller' and 'Where the Red Fern Grows,' here are the true-to-life adventures of a young boy growing up in the 1950s in the wilds of central Florida. Back then - and it was not so long ago - it was all about orange groves and the swamp country for young Bud, and the singular pleasures of coon hunting with his faithful Bluetic hound. A tender first love, tragedy, and troubles with some serious moonshiners bring pathos and tension to this highly readable tale. Few young people today are blessed and challenged with such meaningful rites of passage. They will glimpse the lifestyle and share Bud's struggles in this fine first novel of growing up in a time almost gone by.
"Seeds of My Field" is held together with life values and strong feelings that will grab readers on the first page and refuse to let go long after the book is resting on the shelf. This is a novel, not a true story, but the place is real, the emotions are real and the characters are true.

"Show me a kid from a broken home and I'll show you a kid who has developed unique survival skills and a curious independence," Vic Topmiller Jr. writes. He is a veteran writer for magazines and newspapers. "Seeds of My Field" is Vic's first book.