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Nick Wilgus

Shaking the Sugar Tree Kindle Edition

by Nick Wilgus (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

89 ratings

Book 1 of 3: The Sugar Tree

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Wise-cracking Wiley Cantrell is loud and roaringly outrageous -- and he needs to be to keep his deeply religious neighbors and family in the Deep South at bay. A failed writer on food stamps, Wiley works a minimum wage job and barely manages to keep himself and his deaf son, Noah, more than a stone’s throw away from Dumpster-diving.

Noah was a meth baby and has the birth defects to prove it. He sees how lonely his father is and tries to help him find a boyfriend while Wiley struggles to help Noah have a relationship with his incarcerated mother, who believes the best way to feed a child is with a slingshot. No wonder Noah becomes Wiley’s biggest supporter when Boston nurse Jackson Ledbetter walks past Wiley’s cash register and sets his sugar tree on fire.

Jackson falls like a wet mule wearing concrete boots for Wiley’s sense of humor. And while Wiley represents much of the best of the South, Jackson is hiding a secret that could threaten this new family in the making.

When North meets South, the cultural misunderstandings are many, but so are the laughs, and the tears, but, as they say down in Dixie, it’s all good.

Print length

306 pages
Language

English
Publication date

March 14, 2020
File size

1211 KB
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Books In This Series (3 Books)

Complete Series

The Sugar Tree

Kindle Edition

Page 1 of 1Start OverPage 1 of 1

1
Shaking the Sugar Tree
Nick Wilgus

(89)

Kindle Edition

$4.99
2
Stones in the Road
Nick Wilgus

(54)

Kindle Edition

$5.99
3
Go Tell It on the Mountains
Nick Wilgus

(40)

Kindle Edition

$4.35

Nick Wilgus
54
Kindle Edition
1 offer from $5.99
Nick Wilgus
40
Kindle Edition
1 offer from $4.35
Tal Bauer
3,763
Kindle Edition
1 offer from $4.99
Nicky James
Kindle Edition
1 offer from $4.99
Lauren Blakely
1,845
Kindle Edition
1 offer from $4.99
Cass Lennox
81
Kindle Edition
1 offer from $3.99

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B085N3FKHN
Publisher ‏ : ‎ JMS Books LLC (March 14, 2020)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ March 14, 2020
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 1211 KB
Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Print length ‏ : ‎ 306 pages
Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 1627984887
Lending ‏ : ‎ Enabled

Best Sellers Rank: #659,545 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #9,806 in Gay Fiction
- #15,001 in Gay Romance
- #23,040 in LGBTQ+ Romance (Books)

Customer Reviews:
89 ratings

About the author

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Nick Wilgus

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I sold my first short story to The Horror Show Magazine at the age of seventeen and I've been writing ever since. Across different genres, from murder mysteries to horror and romantic comedies involving gay dads and their kids, I return over and over to the theme of being othered, of being different, of not fitting in. You will find my books populated by hookers, losers, runaways, kids with special needs, sinners big and small, and even a murderer or two. An award-winning movie was based on my first novel, MINDFULNESS AND MURDER, and I was nominated for a Lambda Award for BILAL'S BREAD.

A former newspaper editor and author of more than a dozen novels and two screenplays, I currently live in a small Mississippi town not far from where Elvis grew up. A single dad, I live with my two sons and our rescued stray, Boggs, who is the most Buddhist dog ever and has never once barked at anyone or anything.

Customer reviews

5 star		73%
4 star		14%
3 star		5%
2 star		5%
1 star		4%

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Top reviews from the United States

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Amazon Customer

Great story but beware the AUDIBLE book.

Reviewed in the United States on April 27, 2015

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I'm not sure if this review will show up on audible.com or Amazon. The story was excellent, it took me a while to decide to read it but I liked it so well I also bought the sequel. It is well written, especially good cadence of southern storytelling, a substantive plot and intricate characters.

I was thrilled to see and buy the audible book, but managed to listen to only the first few chapters before returning it for a refund. This is the second time this has happened to me. I bought audible version of an excellent story, only to find an inappropriate narrator has made the listening experience unbearable. First his southern accent was not Mississippi - I grew up in Louisiana so I know what it should sound like. It grated so on my ears it was difficult to listen to. (This is the reason I cannot bear to watch NCIS-New Orleans -- the fake a** southern accents.)

Also this is a novel about two young gay men, so what's with casting Wilford Brimley/Col. Sanders voice for a narrator? I checked the narrator's other work on audible.com, and he has not done any other young man roles, much less any gay roles. This is Nick Wilgus's first "audiblization" of one of his novels, and I don't know how the narrator selection process works for an author signing up with audible.com. Hopefully he has more control or money or both next time and can hire a younger voice for a young man's tale, one who can also better act a Mississippi accent. There are dialect coaches to help with that.

The final insult to my ears that had me figuratively fling the audible file back to the publisher for a refund was the narrator pronouncing the word "prostrate" as "prostate" in the following in one of the early chapters:

"...as a priest read the Rite of Exorcism over my prostrate body."

Really, guy? In a m/m romance, that is a particularly egregious error.

I heartily recommend this title for reading but the audible version is irritating at best. A good narrator enacts the story, it's more than just reading.

3 people found this helpful

Helpful

Lauren Prouty

Some Good Southern' Lovin and Them Some - Excellent Book

Reviewed in the United States on August 26, 2015

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Oh my goodness, I just finished this book and there are still tears in my eyes. Happy ones. And I'm not a crier usually where books are concerned - they really have to touch something deep inside me to get those kind of results. While I can't say this is my favorite m/m book it is a fantastic book with some of the most thoughtful considerations on the subjects of religion, tolerance, addictions, parenthood, gay rights...heck, human rights. And I must say out of the hundreds of books I've read this is the first one that depicts a child honestly and accurately - there is nothing cutesy about Noah but he truly is adorable (and a handful). He is a 10 year old deaf child you just want to hold and love...and thank goodness he has Wiley. The author, Nick Wilgus, is a wonderful observer of life and people. I have never seen so many things captured with so much humor and honesty. I love this book and the story it tells of the three main characters: Wiley (Noah's dad), his boyfriend Jackson, and Noah himself. There are also secondary characters who are so well written they leap off the pages and I'm sure they exist somewhere (both the good and the bad). I highly recommend this book and I understand there is a book 2 and I hope to read that one as well.

One person found this helpful

Helpful

Patricia O'Sullivan

Great supporting cast!

Reviewed in the United States on May 30, 2014

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I loved being pulled into Wiley's world. I live in the MS, but I didn't grow up there, so it was interesting to learn about swimming holes and four-wheelers and crazy relatives who are allowed to shoot off their mouths. I found his romance with Jackson meh. Even Wiley comments at the end of the novel that his story is more about the love between father and son, not two lovers. Jackson was just too cardboard compared to the others in the novel. Noah and Pawpaw were my favorite characters. Noah taught me a lot about his disabilities. Wilgus did a fantastic job of portraying Noah as real person rather than just a stand-in for his disability or a save-the-cat opportunity for the other characters. Pawpaw was so incredibly offensive, but I found myself laughing at his vitriol when I realized that he said most of what he did for effect. I also came to like Wiley's mother and Kayla's mother. Brother Billy confused me - I'm not sure how someone goes from punching the crap out of someone for being gay to showing up at a gay rights rally in just a few weeks. I loved the scenes of Food World. Wiley brought so much humor to his job while still showing how hard it was to have a minimum wage existence. Shaking the Sugar Tree is the kind of novel that defies all the false calls for diversity in literature. It is out there - here is a great story about a gay man raising a deaf son and living on minimum wage in a community that is not welcoming to people who don't conform. If you like stories that shake you up and teach you something new, you should read this novel.

Reviewed in the United States on April 1, 2019

Verified Purchase

How are there so few reviews of this series?! I had to leave one, just to show support this author. I can’t say enough good things about this novel and this series. I love what a great father Wiley is and how hard Jackson tries. I love Noah and his eagerness and joy. I’ve re-read this whole series twice and it doesn’t fail to make me laugh and smile and cry and feel all the feelings. I know exactly what it feels like to be not straight in the rural south, so I connected with these characters more than most. This has a romantic relationship, but this book is not about Jackson and Wiley; it’s about Noah and Wiley and the love between father and son.

Helpful

Top reviews from other countries

annie

Loved it !!!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 7, 2014

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I loved this book....wasn't your usual 'run of the mill M/M'....I agree with previous reviews, this is a love story between a father and son...
From a meth head to a wonderful dad....that was Wileys journey....his family are obnoxious..uncaring...unseeing....and very very funny...I want a Pawpaw in my family...the man was hilarious.....the scene at the family dinner had me laughing out loud for an age.....you will know which one !!
Would love a follow up story... read this book !!!

One person found this helpful

Lynn

Funny, crazy

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 31, 2017

Verified Purchase

Funny, crazy, inappropriate, heartbreaking, entertaining, sweet. It took me a while to get used to some very odd ways of thinking (I am assuming that this was authentic to the area it was located in, which is widely different to my background) but overall I really enjoyed it.

TRIMONTIUM

BIGOTRY IS A LIFESTYLE CHOICE, ISN'T IT?

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 29, 2016

Verified Purchase

A great book, but not an easy read. It shows a startling insight into the issues involved in raising a child with problems. The family are pure Beverley Hill Billy, especially Pawpaw. The Magnolia state? Must remember not to go there. Ever. Meanwhile I am on to book two and the WASPs.

Sharona

Must read

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 18, 2014

Verified Purchase

Congratulations Mr Wilgus on this fantastic novel. I just loved the characters, Wiley & Noah obviously were just special. For me the weakest character was Jackson. The grandfather was hilarious. It's a book I will definitely recommend.

ian fairbrass

He signed and I got it.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 26, 2014

Verified Purchase

The reality of life ripples through this book. It. Is beautifully written both funny and heartfelt. It created a picture of the south so vivid that I definitely don't ever want to go there.

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