Book signing and book presentation of Rurals and Townies, a young adult novel by L.J. Launer set in St. Charles, Missouri, particularly the historic Frenchtown neighborhood, the north end of St. Charles and eastern St. Charles County. This is his first novel. Copies of the novel are available on Amazon.com Guests who already have copies are invited to bring them in to be signed by the author. Wine and cheese will also be available. Meet the author as well as the history of Frenchtown at the museum.
Copies of the novel can be purchased at www.amazon.com. Those attending are encouraged to purchase your novel ahead of time, so you can bring your copy to the museum for the signing (at a savings). Limited copies will be available on the day of the event.
Rurals and Townies is a young adult mystery novel set in St. Charles and St. Charles County in the early years of the early 21st Century. The main character in the novel is a 15-year-old sophomore girl named Molly Warner. She is classified in the school as a rural, a student who lives on a farm just outside St. Charles. Molly is a scholar student and a scholar athlete. She is also a varsity cheerleader and a track runner in the spring. Most of her varsity cheerleader teammates and others she befriends are called townies in the school. It originally referred to residents of Frenchtown, but it eventually referred to anyone living inside the city limits.
Find out what's happening in St. Charleswith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Molly’s best friend, cheerleader teammate and captain, winds up in a coma. Molly suspects some foul play and investigates what happened. Molly goes through Blanchette High’s social structure to figure out what happened. Her mother is not fond of Molly’s friends who are all varsity cheerleaders and some of the members of the football team. Her mother feels Molly should be more
of a quite person, yet her mother has lost some contact with Molly and is unaware of Molly’s school accomplishments.
This is the first novel for L.J. Launer. Mr. Launer is a lifelong resident of St. Charles County. He is a 1982 graduate of St. Charles West High School. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Mass Communications from Lindenwood University with an emphasis in English. He has served as a volunteer researcher for the St. Charles County Historical Society and currently serves on the organization’s board of directors.