May turned into a huge month for the Chippewa Valley lit scene, with many new titles released, including Michael Perry's first foray into adult fiction – The Jesus Cow – and a collection of short stories from Nickolas Butler – Beneath the Bonfire. The Local Store is stocked up these new titles, plus both authors' previous bestsellers.

Available Now (Signed): The Jesus Cow by Michael Perry

With his eye (and ear) for the comical elements of contemporary rural life, New York Times bestselling author Michael Perry has built a loyal audience with his popular memoirs Visiting Tom and Population 485. Now, for the first time, he turns to fiction with The Jesus Cow (released May 19), an affectionately skewed and big-hearted depiction of one miraculous bovine and the chaos it unleashes. “A wildly comic and deeply felt examination of faith, combining politics, scandal, farming, love, environmentalism and rural philosophy,” says Julie Schumacher, author of Dear Committee Member.

➜ Order The Jesus Cow online! We've got signed copies of  the new book available right here.

➜ Read Volume One Magazine's interview with Michael Perry about the new book right here.

Available Now (Signed): Beneath the Bonfire by Nickolas Butler

A few weeks ago, Nickolas Butler – author of the bestselling, accolade-grabbing Shotgun Lovesongs – released a collection of short stories, Beneath the Bonfire, with a book launch at The Local Store (photos). In Bonfire, Butler demonstrates his talent for portraying "a place and its people with such love that you'll find yourself falling for them, too" (Josh Weil, author of The Great Glass Sea). Young couples gather to participate in an annual "chainsaw party," cutting down trees for firewood in anticipation of the winter. A group of men spend a weekend hunting for mushrooms in the wilderness where they grew up and where some still find themselves trapped. An aging environmentalist takes out his frustration and anger on a singular, unsuspecting target. One woman helps another get revenge against a man whose crime extends far beyond him to an entire community. Together, the ten stories in this dazzling, surprising collection evoke a landscape that will be instantly recognizable to anyone who has traveled the back roads and blue highways of America, and they completely capture the memorable characters who call it home.

➜ Order Beneath the Bonfire online! We've got signed copies of  the new book available right here.

➜ Read Volume One Magazine's article about Butler's new book of short stories right here.