Avignon
by Mitchell J. Mueck

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William was a physically powerful man, but he was something more than physically strong. There was a strength of character that just seemed to exude from him. He was a good man. Alexandre wasn’t able to think of anyone he had ever met that compared to what he thought of William. He seemed to have the ability to control any situation, but he used that ability to benefit others, which came to included even Alexandre. Montana native William Walker is in Avignon, France, living discreetly, trying to help others realize their potential to do good, and protecting them from being drawn into the dark things he is trying to escape from. He frequently moves around, making him an enigma to those he encounters. William observes a young pickpocket named Alexandre and becomes his mentor and he encourages Alexandre to change his ways. After securing a job with Alexandre at a nearby ranch, William is soon entangled in the Desjardin family’s struggles against (unbeknownst to them) an organized crime lord and his criminal cohorts who will stop at nothing to get their hands on the ranch, especially an extremely valuable Friesen stallion. As much as William wants to leave his past behind him, the skills he developed and the alliances he established during these mysterious years become essential to the Desjardins—and the ranch’s—survival. William begins to earn the family’s trust, and they put a plan in motion, with the help of his brothers and other connections, to bring an end to this dangerous threat, save the ranch, and the stallion. And during all this intrigue, some characters may even find love.

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Mitchell J. Mueck loves to travel, and on a trip to France with his wife, Irina, in 2024, he imagined most of the story and main characters that inspired his first novel, Avignon, aptly named after a city they visited there. He has a wealth of experience in various aspects of the construction industry around the US, in Oklahoma, Texas, California, and New York, where he has had between 1 and 125 employees at a given time. At an early age, Mitchell was training horses, as well as backpacking in wilderness areas, learning survival skills, both of which have been incorporated into his protagonist’s persona in Avignon. He has also written his autobiography, The Story, which tells of the tragedies and triumphs he experienced by age twenty, including struggling with a debilitating disease but overcoming the doctor’s poor prognosis, and becoming a widower at age nineteen. More than anything else, Mitchell enjoys sharing the things life has taught him to anyone he can.

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Mitchell J. Mueck