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Garbage Boy: The High Bar of Low ExpectationsGarbage Boy—a.k.a. Scarface, a.k.a. William—has had it rough his entire life. Facing off against a deadbeat dad and his mom’s abusive boyfriend, he’s had to fight every step of the way just to survive. Not only that, his family’s low social status makes him an object of ridicule and abuse among his peers and the community at large. That all begins to change when Garbage Boy meets up with Mister and Stone Pony, two mysterious men who enlist his aid in their growing sanitation enterprise. Who would have thought picking up garbage would be the road to redemption, never mind riches? But not even that comes easily for Garbage Boy. Although Garbage Boy’s situation improves remarkably at first, the deeper his involvement with Mister and Stone Pony, the more complicated his life becomes, to the point he risks losing everything he’s fought so hard to gain.
The book implies an ethical question “Does a wrong become right if you have been wronged all along?” "This wasn’t going to end well."
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SCARRED commences with a father's failure to return from a walk to the corner store for a loaf of bread and a pack of smokes, leaving a pregnant, forty year old mother and her seven year old son in a world of making-do, getting-by and hope. Scarred is the decade long story of their journey.
The mother lives with the goal of providing for her 3 children by keeping a roof over their heads, food on the table and clothes on their backs. her life is one of checks and balances and making 5 pounds of hamburger feed four for a week. She prays at the side of her bed and questions God about surviving the harsh judgment of others, how to raise her son to become a good man and learning how to breathe. She doesn't find many answers. The son lives with the goal of not getting "the shit kicked out of him" on a regular basis by the town gangs. He collects bottles for return deposits to support his family, picks up people's garbage and scoops their dog shit. Often accompanied by two friends, they scuttle along the bottom social rungs of a small town and surprisingly emerge on top of the ladder, from time to time. The son gets two "star" turns on the CBC National News which may be ironic or iconic, he doesn't know. He prays for a few less one-sided fights, not to be scared all the time, a better life for his mom and a tad more courage. The RCMP and the local police have an interest in both the mom and her son when a man dies and there is uncertainty surrounding his death. The "why" of the possible murder is never in doubt. Their prayers may go largely unanswered but they manage to weave through abandonment and abuse to some form of ascension. |
The Last Flight of the Orioles - Coming in Fall 2026
Childhood friends Jimmie and Mikie remained linked throughout their lives despite the very different paths they followed. One remained in their hometown, studied hard, worked hard, followed a straight-line career path and married the girl he first dated. The other not so much. They come together throughout their adult lives sporadically but always at crucial crossroads in their divergent paths.
The story is charged with emotion as Jimmie often feels forgotten by his friend and that their friendship exists or is on occasion revived only at the convenience of Mikie. They are both products of a culture that repressed men expressing emotions towards each other. Jimmie craves the affection and warmth of his close friend. Mikie on the other hand finds that need at best is an afterthought. The toxic masculinity that dominated their upbringing remains a barrier to a truly loving relationship and a full appreciation of their best friend. That is until the end, when these two Orioles embark on their last flight together.
The Last Flight of The Orioles is an emotional laden trip through time. Full of humour, reflection and the honest perspective of the needs and deeds of two men, who knew each other from day one but didn’t really know each other until the end of days.
Childhood friends Jimmie and Mikie remained linked throughout their lives despite the very different paths they followed. One remained in their hometown, studied hard, worked hard, followed a straight-line career path and married the girl he first dated. The other not so much. They come together throughout their adult lives sporadically but always at crucial crossroads in their divergent paths.
The story is charged with emotion as Jimmie often feels forgotten by his friend and that their friendship exists or is on occasion revived only at the convenience of Mikie. They are both products of a culture that repressed men expressing emotions towards each other. Jimmie craves the affection and warmth of his close friend. Mikie on the other hand finds that need at best is an afterthought. The toxic masculinity that dominated their upbringing remains a barrier to a truly loving relationship and a full appreciation of their best friend. That is until the end, when these two Orioles embark on their last flight together.
The Last Flight of The Orioles is an emotional laden trip through time. Full of humour, reflection and the honest perspective of the needs and deeds of two men, who knew each other from day one but didn’t really know each other until the end of days.
Lost and Found: The Shot Gunning of Mrs. D - Coming in Fall 2026/Spring 2027
‘Lost and Found’ the third book in the ‘Newspaper Crew’ chronicles, following SCARRED & Garbage Boy -The High Bar of Low Expectations
Death brings closure. Or does it? Garbage Boy is gone but not forgotten. Closure remains elusive. In ‘Lost and Found’ the main characters stumble forward blanketed by the searing pain of loss. Some don’t seek healing; some seek revenge or something even more tangible. Whatever they have lose or find along the way there will be no clear resolution until the exact fate of Garbage Boy is clear. They need a ‘body’ to close the chapter, make that two bodies.
The cocktail of chaos that enveloped Garbage Boy continues to be shaken and stirred. Mister and Stone Pony continue to grow the legitimate parts of their burgeoning business empire while forced into an unexpected alliance in the drug trade they are trying to exit. Scores need to be settled with the Mayhem Motorcycle gang, or do they?
There seems to be a lull before the storm. The entry of Mrs. D and her big time, greasy lawyer husband signals the start of another maelstrom of good intent and bad outcomes or is that bad intent and good outcomes? Depends on your perspective and which end of Mrs. D’s shot gunning ways you are facing.
New characters enter the mix, new partners embrace each other tentatively and nothing is crystal clear. Spring thaws float both renewal and sorrows to the surface. The spectre of turbulence stirs just as the nightcrawlers do in the Worm Moon of March.
Does anything get resolved or do the characters just move from chaos to chaos, existing, between lost and found?
‘Lost and Found’ the third book in the ‘Newspaper Crew’ chronicles, following SCARRED & Garbage Boy -The High Bar of Low Expectations
Death brings closure. Or does it? Garbage Boy is gone but not forgotten. Closure remains elusive. In ‘Lost and Found’ the main characters stumble forward blanketed by the searing pain of loss. Some don’t seek healing; some seek revenge or something even more tangible. Whatever they have lose or find along the way there will be no clear resolution until the exact fate of Garbage Boy is clear. They need a ‘body’ to close the chapter, make that two bodies.
The cocktail of chaos that enveloped Garbage Boy continues to be shaken and stirred. Mister and Stone Pony continue to grow the legitimate parts of their burgeoning business empire while forced into an unexpected alliance in the drug trade they are trying to exit. Scores need to be settled with the Mayhem Motorcycle gang, or do they?
There seems to be a lull before the storm. The entry of Mrs. D and her big time, greasy lawyer husband signals the start of another maelstrom of good intent and bad outcomes or is that bad intent and good outcomes? Depends on your perspective and which end of Mrs. D’s shot gunning ways you are facing.
New characters enter the mix, new partners embrace each other tentatively and nothing is crystal clear. Spring thaws float both renewal and sorrows to the surface. The spectre of turbulence stirs just as the nightcrawlers do in the Worm Moon of March.
Does anything get resolved or do the characters just move from chaos to chaos, existing, between lost and found?
