Booklist "...[re John-Browne's Body & Sole ] realistic first-person narration...." Midwest Book Review "...impressive series [BalonaBooks ] of novels...." Senior Lifestyles : "...one funny guy...knows young people...." Critic A. Gianelli: [re A Cuisine of Leftovers ]"Balona is like a Norse Saga with whoopee cushions!" Placerville, CA Mountain Democrat : [re The Far Side of the Moon ] "...not only good young adult.., but also ...good, and quite interesting...for grown-ups...." Rowse Reviews : "...gentle humor and characterizations [Thing with Feathers ] his fans have grown to expect...." Janet Leigh Late lamented author and celebrated star of screen and TV : "... [The Chocolate Korndog ] is tasty!" VOYA:[re The Far Side of the Moon ]"...really quite good...." School Library Journal [re Nobody's Fault] "...characters well developed...voices distinct...plot moves forward easily...."

Who? Yes, this is Jonathan Pearce, Your Fine-Grit Author. Maybe you expected the prettier one. Brosnan?

   According to folks over in neighboring Lodi, Balona is "that swampy place" under the Yulumne River levee. But to Balonans, their village of about 2,500 souls is, if not remotely Heaven, at least homely. Jonathan has populated the place with teens, quirky old folks, wiseacres, crooks, some distinctly retro ideas, a friendly cannibal, dumbells, geniuses, possibly a serial murderer, Cool Beautiful People, the Rejected, veterans, ghosts, weirdos, veterinarians; and the Slys, Ordways, Chauds, Runcibles. (See how Jonathan sneaks characters into stories from the Balona Family Tree.)

Of course, a featured narrator or character is the inimitably predictable would-be secret agent, psychologist, poet, and retro teen detective Joseph Oliver Kuhl and his funny, quirky family. The author has written sympathetically (sort of) about many of these oddball characters in his Balona Books. He's also written some critically acclaimed historical fiction.

Even MORE about this fellow.