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Charles Tabb

 

Member profile details

First name
Charles
Last name
Tabb
Organization
Hanover Writers
 

Personal information (200 word limit for Bio, please)

Pen Name
Charles Tabb
Personal photo
Bio
I am a retired English and theatre teacher from NC. I have written most of my adult life and now write full time. I have had several stories published as well as a number of novels. My first novel, FLOATING TWIGS, a coming-of-age literary novel is currently being taught in a number of English and literature classes in the U.S. and Canada. My second novel, HELL IS EMPTY, a kidnapping thriller and the first of the Detective Tony Pantera series, was released in 2019. I have since released a total of nine novels, including THE PURGER, THE WHIRLIGIG OF TIME, LIKE AN UNTIMELY FROST (Det. Pantera novels), CANARIES' SONG, FINDING TWIGS, and GATHERING TWIGS, SAVING TWIGS. I have also published a book of short stories, poems, and personal essays titled STORIES I TOLD MYSELF: FROM HUMOR TO HORROR. A few of them are featured below.
 

Website and social media (please include "http://")

 

Chapter Information

VWC Chapter (if any)
Hanover Writers
 

Speakers' Bureau

Speaker Area(s) of Writing Expertise
  • Craft
  • Fiction (long form)
  • Fiction (short form)
  • Platform Building/Marketing
  • Publishing
 

Poems, Novels, Plays, or other Works

Work 1 - Title
Floating Twigs
Work 1 - Genre
(Fiction & Literature) Literature
Work 1 - Genre (Other)
Coming-of-age Fiction
Work 1 - Cover
Work 1 - Website
https//charlestabb.com/books
Work 1 - Description
It's 1968 in the rural coastline town of Denton, Florida, and the only thing with a tougher life than twelve-year-old Jack Turner is a starving dog named Bones. When they meet while Jack is fishing, Jack knows that he and Bones are meant for each other, and he promises his oft-absent alcoholic parents that he'll somehow get a job to pay for his new dog's food and care.

In the process of finding work, Jack meets Hank Pittman, a middle-aged man who lives in a dilapidated school bus at the harbor, and Mrs. Mary Jane Dawson, an eccentric but kind older woman in need of gardening help. As Bones nurses back to health, Hank and Mrs. Dawson become the caring parents Jack never had.

But gossip and lies about Jack's growing relationships lead to an attack on Bones' life and questions about secrets in Hank's past. When Hank is put on trial for a crime he didn't commit, everything Jack holds dear is set in the balance of that small-town courtroom.

Floating Twigs is a timeless coming-of-age story about a boy and his dog, the responsibilities that come with loving others, and how sometimes one small moment can change a life forever.

By clicking the button below, you can read the first few chapters as well as the reader reviews before purchasing.
Work 2 - Title
Hell is Empty
Work 2 - Genre
(Fiction & Literature) Mystery & Crime
Work 2 - Genre (Other)
Book 1 of the Detective Tony Pantera series
Work 2 - Cover
Work 2 - Description
When an obsessed man kidnaps high school freshman Samantha Dobson while she walks along a deserted street, Detective Tony Pantera finds himself searching for a young girl with virtually no clues to help him. His only other kidnapping case didn’t end well, and he is determined this one will have a happier ending, but the odds are against him.

Meanwhile, Samantha’s family must deal with the sudden tragedy. Her mother tries to hold the family together, but her father buries himself in his work while her older brother and sister deal with it in their own self-destructive ways.

A kidnapping thriller that features absolute evil pitted against a persistent detective and strong-willed girl, Hell is Empty is sure to keep you reading into the night.
Work 3 - Title
The Purger
Work 3 - Genre
(Fiction & Literature) Mystery & Crime
Work 3 - Genre (Other)
Book 2 of the Detective Tony Pantera series
Work 3 - Cover
Work 3 - Description
The city is experiencing seemingly motiveless murders, and Pantera must find the killer. He wonders at the odd clues left behind on each victim, each wrapped in a piece of discarded paper and urinated upon: a victim’s severed wedding ring finger with the expensive rings still there . . . strands of a victim’s pubic hair . . . a man’s wallet, the credit cards and cash left behind. What could they mean? Why is the killer urinating on each item? None of the victim’s have been raped or sexually molested, so if robbery or rape isn’t the motive, what is?

When one of his colleagues becomes a victim of the madman, Pantera suffers waves of guilt because he was unable to prevent the tragedy by stopping the killer who calls himself “The Purger.” With the help of another detective assigned to the case, Harry Overmeyer, Pantera must work fast before more innocents are murdered and left behind like yesterday’s trash.

A page-turner fraught with danger and madness at every turn, The Purger will be sure to keep you reading until the frightening conclusion.
Work 4 - Title
Canaries’ Song
Work 4 - Genre
(Fiction & Literature) Literature
Work 4 - Genre (Other)
Family Life Fiction
Work 4 - Cover
Work 4 - Description
Eric Northcraft is struggling to raise his three daughters without his wife, who recently died of cancer. While he misses his late wife, Emily, he must do his best to be both a father and mother to his young daughters.

Lisa, the oldest at fourteen, loves horses, an interest not well-supported by his teacher's salary. Grace, his middle child, is physically and intellectually challenged, mentally more like a five-year-old than a girl of eleven. Monica, the youngest, is the rebellious one and is convinced her father loves her sisters more than he loves her. They each deal with the loss of their mother in different ways, some good, some bad.

As Lisa finds a way to be around the horses she loves so much, Monica grows more rebellious and difficult. Grace, however, is happy with her canaries, preferring to sit and listen to their beautiful singing while doing her best to convince her family of the happiness they can bring.

Meanwhile, Eric is having difficulties at work. One of his administrators is causing problems, and his best student, an African-American girl with issues of her own, refuses to be coaxed into attending college, even on a scholarship. When tragedy strikes once again, Eric and his family must deal with its outcome.

A story of resilience, love, and the beauty that surrounds us to help us through life, Canaries' Song will make you laugh, cry, and finally, turn the last page with feelings of joy and satisfaction. It will remind the reader of Tabb's acclaimed novel, Floating Twigs.
Work 5 - Title
Finding Twigs
Work 5 - Genre
(Fiction & Literature) Literature
Work 5 - Genre (Other)
Legal Thriller
Work 5 - Cover
Work 5 - Description
Jack Turner has returned to his hometown of Denton, Florida, to live there for the first time in eighteen years. Despite a career as a criminal defense attorney and the companionship of his new dog, Brinkley, Jack is haunted by what is missing in his life.

Whether it’s the unanswered questions about his brother, Rick, who never returned from Vietnam, or a budding romance with Jenny Walton, Jack is wary of getting close to anyone beyond a few trusted friends and his beloved dogs. But when he’s assigned to represent an old childhood tormentor for armed robbery, Jack is forced to re-evaluate his past and consider his own failings in dealing with others.

This endearing sequel to Floating Twigs takes an honest look at love and redemption as Jack discovers that finding twigs is more difficult than floating them.

Note: The reader does not need to have read Floating Twigs to read and follow this book, though of course it is better to have read that one before reading Finding Twigs to know more about the main characters.
 

Additional Works - Add title, genre, URL, description, and publication year in free form text here.

Additional Works
You can find my other novels by going to my website and following the links at the top of the homepage: https://charlestabb.com.
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