Cloudland

“It was the arrow shot by Lewis that killed Bill McKinney, who assaulted Bobby Tripp, that scene spun me around when I watched it. Lewis got him with the famous “center shot” through McKinney’s chest, an ugly and convincing death scene. And we cannot forget the banjo boy, Lonnie, played by Billy Redden who delivered the famous Dueling Banjo song by Eric Weissberg. Yet, there would have never been a Deliverance movie had it not been for James Dickey’s book and screenplay, not to mention the brilliant film director’s play on the story by John Boorman. … “Where to start, I thought when I began writing the manuscript. How will I write such a story? Okay, the men are home safe and sound, except Drew; they left him behind, remember? Yes, I won’t have him to consider. Then it came to me, I’ll write similar lead-in chapters and then jump thirty years and write about how the three survivors who managed their lives while dealing with the memories of that horrible day so long ago on the Chattooga. There ain’t no Aintry, I thought, so I’ll change the location, too,” wrote Clarence.

Cloudland Canyon is a real place in the Cumberland Plateau within the southern Appalachian Mountain Range. There, overlooking a large mountain lake, is where the pavilion is located, a clandestine governmental operation center, a secret listening post owned by billionaire Brenton Parrish. The site is listed in the secret files in Langley, Virginia as––Cloudland.  … “Yeah, that’s what I’ll name my book––Cloudland. I’ll start with a synopsis; ‘At the northern end of the lake near the charming village of Amica Falls, there is an emerald light. It’s been there for a long time, some thirty years. Those who live in the area call the soft emerald glow a beacon of safety, a sure heading in the night, a waypoint there to help guide the lost to safe haven. For one man, it marked the way home, but for a few other people it marked the beginning and the end of a long season of deliverance.'” The story is well underway when four close friends, Jack Riggs, Shannon Kimble, Brenton Parrish and his twin sister, Barbara, leave their homes in Atlanta for a weekend whitewater rafting adventure on the notorious Chattooga River. On the final day, Shannon and Barbara go down river to load their gear into Jack’s van when three mountain men assault them. Jack and Brent arrive and kill all three men, but Shannon dies. A vigorous inquiry follows. Luckily, because of Barbara’s cunning, they escape prosecution. However, the tragedy destroys their life-long friendship and Jack leaves Georgia. Thirty years pass. Barbara is Governor of Georgia and Brent’s business skills earned him billionaire status. Brent’s granddaughter, Alisa, is kidnapped and Jack returns to Georgia. Brent soon learns that the person who took Alisa was Luther Clower, the brother of one of the men Jack killed that terrible day on the Chattooga. The plot gets deeper and deeper with new twists and surprising turns. As the story unwinds, there are strong themes of love, courage, risk, fear, hope, murder, revenge, and the importance of family. The characters in Cloudland are well developed and believable.