Local writer features Clarion County in new book

From staff reports

Rimersburg native and novelist David Drayer’s first nonfiction book features Clarion County and surrounding areas.

“Wayward Son: Travels and Reflections” is a collection of blog posts and newspaper columns written during Drayer’s time back in western Pennsylvania and while traveling around the country.

Throughout the book, Drayer mixes humorous anecdotes of working as an extra in Hollywood, washing dishes in the Hamptons, and competing with a dog for a woman’s affections in Washington, D.C., with hiking in Clarion County, visiting long-lost relatives, and pondering the mysteries of nicknames, superstitions, what matters in life, and what doesn’t.

“I write to connect,” Drayer said in a recent interview, “to encourage people to laugh, to think, to wonder, and to be inspired to share their own stories.” Drayer said that going back to his small-town roots after almost 30 years of living in major cities across the country was a bit of culture shock.

“Sharing my motorcycle trips and especially writing the newspaper columns helped me to reconnect with the folks back home. It made my day when someone stopped me in town to say one of my articles made them laugh out loud or inspired them to take a road trip or check something off of their bucket list.”

Route 33 Press calls Wayward Son, “inspiring, hilarious, thoughtful, and wise” and adds “these commentaries on what makes life worth living not only stimulate the mind, they encourage us to venture off the beaten path and enjoy the ride.”

Launched at the Carnegie Library in Pittsburgh, Wayward Son can now be purchased in Rimersburg at Eccles-Lesher Memorial Library and at Runyan Computers on State Route 68 for $15 and is also available at Amazon.com.

To read a sample chapter of Wayward Son: Travel and Reflections or any of Drayer’s four published novels, visit his website at daviddrayer.com.

Libraries, book stores, and book clubs interested in setting up a reading, signing, or a book club event attended by the author can do so by leaving a message on the website or calling (631) 873-7875.