A novel by former Hinton News Publisher, C.D. “Tony” Hylton, III has been recognized by the 2021 Southern California Book Festival.
And Raise Hell, the second in a series, which deals with the rough and tumble brand of politics found in southern West Virginia in the 1960’s, received an Honorable Mention award for General Fiction.
And Raise Hell is a sequel to Hylton’s first novel Enough and features a young small town newspaper publisher who takes on a corrupt political machine in the fictional southern West Virginia county of Jordan. Hylton’s first novel Enough received honorable mention recognition from the 2020 New York Book Festival.
In And Raise Hell, during their trials for burning the Lawnsville Crier to the ground and attempting to murder the young publisher, the accused turn on each other trying to avoid prison. In this latest novel, the underdog crusading young publisher continues to take on other corrupt politicians as they move to establish illegal gambling and kickback activities in Lawnsville.
And Raise Hell also focuses on the behind-the-scenes maneuvering by crooked politicians using stolen public money, threats, intimidation and government jobs to maintain control.
The title for Hylton’s newest novel comes from an 1861 Chicago Times editorial which describes newspapers this way –
“It’s a newspaper’s duty to print the news and raise hell.”
Hylton explains, “Enough was to be my only book. But the characters in Enough invaded my dreams and said, ‘You can’t stop now. We’re not done yet – Lawnsville and Jordan County needs us to finish the job.’ And as Stephen King’s On Writing advises, I let the characters lead the way that’s why And Raise Hell was written.”
Personally autographed copies of And Raise Hell are available directly from the author. Orders may be sent to 1202 Lakeside Village, Morgantown, WV 26508. The cost is $25.75 covers postage and handling. A limited number of copies of Hylton’s first novel Enough are also available.
Tony been around journalism for most of his 79 years. When less than a month old his mother took him to the Logan Banner to visit his sports editor father. A member of the back shop brought out a pad of printers’ ink cover his foot and made a print on newsprint. That was the beginning. In the third grade, he sold the Banner on the streets of Logan buying them for three cents and selling them for a nickel.
His life-long connection with the honorable journalism profession has taken many for forms – Editor-publisher of the Hinton Daily News (now Hinton News) in 1973-1978 , visiting professor of journalism/public relations at Susquehanna University, public relations practitioner for a national trade association in Washington, D. c. Communications Director for AARP, Virginia and Public information Officer for a major U. S. Army command in the Republican of Vietnam. His political experience includes serving in the West Virginia House of Delegates and candidate for the West Virginia State Senate.
Now a resident of Morgantown, Hylton is a graduate of the West Virginia University P. I. Reed School of Journalism (now School of Media) and also earned a Masters in Political Science from WVU.
