Seven flowers, seven colors, seven meanings, and one 37-year-old secret—the green house is the keeper of it all.
Concord, NH, October 27, 2021 — Earlier this month, suspense/mystery/thriller writer Dan Lawton took top honors in the Biennial New Hampshire Literary Awards in the fiction category. Lawton’s book, “The Green House” is the story of Girard Remington, a fragile elderly man whose life was tragically shattered 37 years ago. In the novel, tragedy strikes again, involving his beloved wife. The pain of the two interwoven tragedies nearly pushes Girard to madness. He finds his only solace in the greenhouse he built long ago. There he discovers the power behind it, which he didn’t even know existed. Seven flowers, seven colors, seven meanings, and one 37-year-old secret—the green house is the keeper of it all.
“The general concept for the book came from a relationship I had at the time I began writing it,” said Lawton. “There was someone in my life who struggled with depression and mental health. As a writer, I thought the best way for me to try to understand what this person was going through was to write about it. I projected my interpretation of what the person was going through onto myself—as an elderly man—and tried to put those feelings onto paper through a suspenseful narrative.”
Some have called “The Green House” emotionally dark, but the author does not see it that way. “I think the underlying message is about love, forgiveness, and most importantly, hope,” said Lawton. “I hope that’s the takeaway for the reader.”
“The Green House” is the writer’s most critically acclaimed novel to date. The book has also been recognized as the Bronze Medalist in Adult Fiction for the 2020 Independent Publisher Book Awards (IPPY Awards); a Finalist for the 2021 Montaigne Medal (Eric Hoffer Awards) for most thought-provoking book; a Finalist in Mystery for the 2020 Book Excellence Awards; a Finalist in Fiction for the 2020 Next Generation Indie Book Awards; and a Finalist in Literary Fiction for the 2020 American Fiction Awards.
Lawton believes the book resonates with many people “because it comes from a real place that a lot of people can relate to. While much of the plot is fictional, the emotional challenges the protagonist deals with come from somewhere, from someone, that I’ve witnessed,” he said.
The author began his first novel in 2012/2013 and has been writing ever since. “Before that, I dabbled in poetry as a kid, then I wrote a screenplay in college. Professionally, I’ve been writing in various capacities for the past seven-plus years.”
When he is not writing, Lawton enjoys reading, watching sports, exercising, and spending time with family.
“The Green House” is available at Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, Gibson’s Bookstore, and other independent bookstores. It is available in paperback, as an e-book, and audio version.
Currently a Concord, NH resident, he is a graduate of Belmont High School and New England College in Henniker, NH. He is a member of the International Thriller Writers (ITW) association. For more information, visit the author’s website: danlawtonfiction.com
The Biennial NH Literary Awards recognize published works written about New Hampshire as well as works that are written by New Hampshire natives or residents. Winners are selected in each of five categories — Fiction, Non-fiction, Middle Grade/Young Adult, Children’s Picture Books, and Poetry. The awards were established over 25 years ago. The New Hampshire Writers’ Project organizes the awards process and ceremony.
