It doesn’t take many entrepreneurs to change your city, town, or village.

The arrival of a young, impoverished carpenter from Texas after a nearly 2,000-mile trek from Houston to Boise accompanied only by his tiny daughter is like a pebble cast into still waters— ripples from their arrival spread out in the community causing a complete recasting and rebirth of an impoverished and neglected part of the Treasure Valley called East Dubois. They are joined in their mission by an unlikely alliance with a well-to-do starchitect who leaves her comfortable but unsatisfying life in search of greater meaning and fulfillment. Together, they battle urban planning regulations and other, sometimes dangerous, forces that are creating sterile places lacking in charm, sustainability, vitality, viability, and equality.

Reviews:
“The adventures of Clara and Virgil is a narrative we should all pay attention to. Twilight Zoned cleverly
marries the modern tragedy of land use regulation and zoning wrapped in a love story peppered with mystery and intrigue. In an innovative learning outcome novel, Bruce Firestone has spearheaded a new way of storytelling, educating, and publishing. Highly recommended for anyone who enjoys being entertained first, and secondly, cares about real-world downsides of zoning and how current planning rules are crushing the built form and sucking the life out of our cities and towns,” Brad Cartier, real estate developer, tech guru, author and briefcase.email publisher

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“Bruce Firestone’s latest literary adventure, Twilight Zoned, is a complete delight! I highly recommend it both for its colorful and captivating characters and for some amazing learning outcomes that it yields. Bruce has an uncanny way of continuing our lifelong learning journey via his direct writing style. You receive a masterclass on urban revitalization and how cities can transform themselves into entrepreneurial, creative spaces that spill over into opportunity and boost socioeconomic prosperity across the board,” Jeremy Laurin, 4 Senior Vice President, External Relations and Business Development, Loyalist College

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“Twilight Zoned is classic Prof Bruce. Every time I read one of his novels, childhood memories of my parents reading me a bedtime story filled with love and adventure return. Like all great performers, Firestone always leaves you wanting more,” Rick Bedard, entrepreneur

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“I loved it! Firestone is an absolute pioneer in entrepreneur and real estate business models. Twilight Zoned coherently blends fiction with real-world learning in a format that both industry veterans and beginners alike can pick up; you will not want to put this book down! It’s an entertaining story filled with intrigue, history, action, humor (a little weird but in a good way), and, most importantly, shines a light on challenges our communities face from draconian planning practices that have caused affordable housing and livability crisis while impoverishing and disenfranchising huge slices of their populations.  City planners in North America and, indeed around the world, could learn a thing or two from the story of Virgil and Clara. Highly recommended for anyone seeking to change the status quo but in an entertaining and fun format,” Tim Reid, The Phoenix Group, Best Selling Author—Success in the new economy, Award-Winning Real Estate Investor, Little Steps Academy co-founder

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“Reading Twilight Zoned was a great decision. I was always fascinated by how people react to urban conditions but never really had any way of conveying the nuances of that experience until now. Leave it to author Bruce Firestone to dream up a new genre and get people thinking about the pros and cons of living in cities and towns governed by picayune zoning codes, terrible master plans, and restrictive ordinances and bylaws! Indeed, Firestone carries important messages in his new novel, full of narrative surprises and harrowing adventures with enough excitement to hold your attention from start to finish!” David Perry, Managing Partner, Perry-Martel International Inc, best-selling author, Guerrilla Marketing for Job Hunters, Hiring Greatness: How to Recruit Your Dream Team and Crush the Competition

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