CIRCUS OF THE SUN : Beguiled by a luminescent artist and her entourage, a volatile young musician spirals through 1979 San Francisco’s cultural, sexual and political maelstrom. "A great, lyrical portrait of an era…a spot-on recreation about a great time of history…and I enjoyed the sheer trip of it. Beautifully observed writing—the emotions in the story are true and moments of life are rendered with clarity.” —Louis B. Jones, author of four New York Times Notable Books, including Ordinary Money and Particles and Luck . In the wake of his girlfriend leaving him, 23-year-old musician Jack has sworn off women, yet the reforming bad boy cannot resist liberated artist Bretta, and her creative entourage. Jack and Bretta believe they have found their masterpiece of love—until the return of her Paganini-esque lover reveals troubling secrets of the seemingly perfect Bretta. Jack finds that the harder he tries to forget his and Bretta’s pasts, the more he is haunted, alluring him to the razor’s edge of obsession and creativity. This lyrically erotic novel pulses with the musical beat of the raw passion of youth as it weaves backstory vignettes of Jack's troubled family and his circus life. The fast-paced historical fiction pinballs from Kerouac-infused North Beach bars to drug- fueled Haight streets, punk moshes to all-night raves, from Sierra saloons to movie star mansions of Malibu. “...King's novel is engagingly honest and sets forth a story-within-a- memoir so skillfully that you forget this is a work of fiction. ...Captures the ups and downs of an intense relationship deftly. ...Reminds me of Jack Kerouac's The Subterraneans with its poetry-leaning prose and rich dialogue.” —Rick Dale, The Daily Beat “Edgy and romantic, comedic and existential, this book grips emotions with intensity.” "A great, lyrical portrait of an era ...a spot-on recreation about a great time of history...and I enjoyed the sheer trip of it. Beautifully observed writing--the emotions in the story are true and moments of life are rendered with clarity." Louis B. Jones, author of four New York Times Notable Books, including Ordinary Money and Particles and Luck . "More than a love story , this is a portrait of the city of San Francisco , from roller skaters and stoners in Golden Gate Park to an epic night of joy riding, culminating in a game of chicken as Jack drives the wrong way up Lombard Street. The prose leans towards the poetic, which results in gorgeous, Kerouac-ian vignettes...seeming like a movie played on fast forward... King does capture the late-1970s zeitgeist beautifully, though, weaving in references to gay rights, the Iran hostage crisis, racial tensions, and newfangled cordless phones and personal computers." Kirkus Reviews. "The wonderful descriptions of Golden Gate Park and the Haight will delight anyone who loves San Francisco. The circus material is so very good, I kept wanting to come back to it. Circus of the Sun is rollicking good fun --a novel of a place and time beautifully illuminated by its own strangeness." Michelle Richmond, author New York Time s bestseller T he Marriage Pact , The Year of Fog , Golden State . "Very profound. .. The first hundred pages reminded me of a cross between Catcher in the Rye and Forgetting Elana ." Patricia Morin, winner Playwrights Center of San Francisco's Best Short Play of 2019 Pushcart Nomination 2012--"Pa and the Pigeon Man." In my novel, Circus of the Sun , I attempt to create for the reader as many intense experiences of passionate and creative life as possible.   "A great, lyrical portrait of an era...a spot-on recreation about a great time of history...and I enjoyed the sheer trip of it. Beautifully observed writing--the emotions in the story are true and moments of life are rendered with clarity." Louis B. Jones, author of four New York Times Notable Books, including Ordinary Money and Particles and Luck . "The wonderful descriptions of Golden Gate Park and the Haight will delight anyone who loves San Francisco. The circus material is so very good, I kept wanting to come back to it. Circus of the Sun is rollicking good fun--a novel of a place and time beautifully illuminated by its own strangeness." Michelle Richmond, author New York Time s bestseller The Marriage Pact , The Year of Fog , Golden State . "More than a love story, this is a portrait of the city of San Francisco, from roller skaters and stoners in Golden Gate Park to an epic night of joy riding, culminating in a game of chicken as Jack drives the wrong way up Lombard Street. The prose leans towards the poetic, which results in gorgeous, Kerouac-ian vignettes...seeming like a movie played on fast forward... King does capture the late-1970s zeitgeist beautifully, though, weaving in references to gay rights, the Iran hostage crisis, racial tensions, and newfangled cordless phones and personal computers." Kirkus Reviews. "Very profound... The first hundred pages