On a March weekend in Cleveland, two cataclysmic events reshape the life of Galahad (Gal) Lafferty, president of the St. John of Bath High School’s Joseph of Arimathea Society, a service organization dedicated to serving as pall bearers for the homeless deceased of the heavily-Irish suburb of Lakewood, Ohio. Gal is drawn reluctantly into playing a vital role in secretly relocating the most sought after and the holiest of missing Catholic relics, The Holy Grail, after it is revealed to be hidden in a salt mine two thousand feet beneath Lake Erie. With a number of potential others possessing wicked designs for the sacred prize, Gal must outmaneuver his rivals to find and relocate the icon before they do. Complicating matters, the assumption of his guardianship takes place against the backdrop of a terrorist attack on Cleveland’s massive St. Patty’s Day parade that may or may not be linked to The Grail’s reemergence.
Belfast, Ohio, blends a bit of magic realism, Irish mysticism and history, Catholicism, and Arthurian romance to tell a thrilling story of sacrifice, heroism, and redemption.
So Shelly
My first novel, So Shelly, is a re-imagining of the lives and friendships of the three great second generation Romantic – Byron, Shelley, and Keats – reset in the modern world as young adults. It earned several nominations for awards in the YA category and was translated into both Spanish and Portuguese
Goodness Falls
Goodness Falls is my second novel. Inspired by my time as a high school football coach and the many other challenges faced by teenagers (peer pressure, parental expectations, burgeoning sexuality, drug abuse), it explores the issue of traumatic brain injury due to a sports concussion.
Island No. 6
My novel, Island No. 6, imagines the outcomes of a bird flu virus outbreak on an island in Lake Erie, where governmental authorities take drastic measures in the attempt to ensure that the outbreak does not explode into a mainland pandemic.
Praise for So Shelly
- “Lurid and Literary.” – Kirkus Reviews
- Earned me a nomination as one of the Top Ten New YA authors of 2012
- Earned me a nomination for the top YA author of 2012 by Ohioana Book Festival
Praise for Goodness Falls
“Heart-aching and emotionally beautiful. – R.A. Nelson, acclaimed author of Throat and Days of Little Texas
Island No. 6 – Amazon Reviews
“I rank Island No. 6 as the best of the “virus” books I’ve ever read.” JCL5150
“A riveting read that keeps you wondering, ‘What next?!” Skohl60
Public Speaking
I’d be happy to be a guest speaker at your event, including book clubs, podcasts, banquets, conferences, Zoom meetings, etc.
Get In Touch
ty_roth@yahoo.com
(419) 341-1143
Ty Roth 