CARLSBORG, Wash., Dec. 5, 2002 (PRIMEZONE) -- Laura Starr is a portrait of a woman with a bruised heart and a tormented soul. A battered wife stricken with poverty and family problems, Laura must face yet another battle, this time against a psychotic Austrian named Wilhelm Goehring, who arrives in her small Oklahoma town parading his vast resources. In author Todd Ikard's latest book "Uncivilized" (now available through 1stBooks Library), readers will witness how Laura gains strength and finds the courage to beat the odds and overpower an influential man.
In this poignant story Laura, a half-Native American single mother, carries the sole responsibility to provide for her two teenage children, octogenarian father and a pot-smoking mother. She dreams of finishing college and becoming wealthy, but Wilhelm, a greedy and powerful man, is threatening this dream by taking her family's property. Laura finds it odd for the man to deliberately subject physical and psychological assaults toward her clan. Bent on getting some answers, Laura puts her love on hold and enters Wilhelm's game, where the set of rules are shaped by deceit, danger, and tragedy.
This gripping scene describes Laura's physique and indomitable spirit: "Laura, brandishing a butcher knife, flung the screen door open and sprang onto the porch. Being nearly six feet tall and with a voluptuous figure, her face only further heightened her aura of earthy sensuality...Her almond eyes -- framed by high cheekbones and long brown lashes and usually serving as reservoirs for her gentleness -- sparked with hatred."
As the title suggests, "Uncivilized" refers to the antagonist who seems to enjoy wreaking havoc on the lives of the central character and her family. Wilhelm's personality and psychotic behavior are indeed outside the bounds of civility. Though the story runs on a grim and disturbing plot, Ikard manages to cultivate hope and strength of character, through Laura's personality.
A former resident of Oklahoma, Todd Ikard's life is filled with colorful experiences. From a fieldworker to a Wall Street executive, Ikard explored different slices of American life. He also played for the Oklahoma State University basketball team under the tutelage of famous coach Hank Iba. Married to Theresa, Ikard now resides on a farm within Washington state.
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