John F. Duffy: A Ballroom for Ghost Dancing

Join us for a First Friday local author event. John Duffy will read selections from his new novel: A Ballroom for Ghost Dancing. This reading and discussion is suitable for all ages. Signed copies of the book will be available to purchase.

The Book

Adam is grief stricken after watching his older brother Tommy slowly wither and die. Drinking too much, he has quit playing music and driven away his longtime girlfriend. His best friend and former bandmate, Mark, invites Adam on a work trip to South Dakota’s Badlands, hoping to remind Adam that it’s OK to experience joy.

On the road, Mark takes drastic action to reignite Adam’s passions, but Adam grows concerned watching as Mark uses drugs and spends money with childish abandon. When the beautiful Bianca enters the picture, Adam’s dark shell finally begins to crack, but her presence shifts the dynamic. Long buried secrets between the men rise to the surface. Pretense drops after Mark admits he has ulterior motives behind the roadtrip. Confessions fly and external circumstances start a ticking clock, forcing Adam to choose between new love and an old friend.

Set in the stoic expanse of the American heartland and awash in comedic banter and beautiful prose, A Ballroom for Ghost Dancing is a story that is both hilarious and heartbreaking about the value of friendship in the face of loss, and the hidden tragedies that we all have awaiting us, whether we are ready to confront them or not.

The Author

Originally from Illinois, John F. Duffy graduated from Columbia College Chicago where he studied film and creative writing. In 2018, Duffy co-authored the non-fiction book, The Watchdogs Didn’t Bark: CIA, NSA, and the Crimes of the War on Terror. In 2021 Duffy produced and hosted the Image Award nominated podcast series, “After the Uprising: The Death of Danye Dion Jones.” Having a passion for literary fiction, Duffy is a prolific writer of short stories, which have been published in Fly Over Country Lit, Terror House Magazine, Floyd County Moonshine, Cutleaf Literary and more. A Ballroom for Ghost Dancing is his debut novel. When not writing, Duffy enjoys quiet time with his family and getting folded in half at the nearest Brazilian Jiu Jitsu gym. He currently lives just outside of Bloomington, Indiana with his wife and daughter in a cabin he built himself.