June 16th, 1971/ Mama gave birth to a hellraising heavenly son… It's Tupac's 44th birthday. Reminds of high school where for two years I had either Me Against the World, All Eyez on Me or The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory in my car stereo. Yeah, rolling around the Central Valley in a lifted... Continue Reading →
Welcome to Great Falls – A Serial Novel – Part 21
November 5, 2014, Wednesday Dear Diary, I’m just a boy and I might not know much, but I know my brother is drinking a lot. He smells sour like Dad in the morning sometimes. I can hear his steps at night in the hallway even though he tries to walk on his tippy toes. He... Continue Reading →
Welcome to Great Falls – A Serial Novel – Part 20
November 4, 2014, Tuesday Kristen checked the front door again but it was still locked. She told herself she would smoke another cigarette before calling Kao for the head chef’s phone number. Right after she lit her smoke, she thought to call the restaurant, and she felt embarrassed when the chef answered. “Can I get... Continue Reading →
Welcome to Great Falls – A Serial Novel – Parts 1-16
For anyone who didn't start reading from the beginning, I created this file so you wouldn't have to navigate from post to post to read in chronological order. As the title of the post indicates, these are parts one through sixteen. Just a warning though, there about 16,000 words in this document. Once again, thank you... Continue Reading →
Welcome to Great Falls – A Serial Novel – Part 16
October 31, 2014, Friday A few people ordered two-part cocktails, but most of McNally’s Friday happy hour crowd were content with bottled Coors Light and shots of Patron. Hector, the cook, was the busiest person in the bar. He removed his Barack Obama mask and put an apron over his tuxedo t-shirt. Linda didn’t mind... Continue Reading →
Welcome to Great Falls – A Serial Novel – Part 15
October 30, 2014, Thursday Kao and Tony sat at a small booth in the dark bar of Ranchers Steakhouse and Grill. It was a popular spot for local businessmen, farmers and retirees. The restaurant was part of the clientele’s weekly routine, and they didn’t hesitate to recommend it to strangers and visiting family. At one... Continue Reading →
Welcome to Great Falls – A Serial Novel – Part 14
October 29, 2014, Wednesday “I’m always going to be your friend, but you’re not making it very easy on me,” Vanessa said when Dennis woke up. “What the fuck happened last night?” Dennis asked as he sat up on the sofa. “Brandon had to carry you in here.” “Why didn’t he just take me home?”... Continue Reading →
Welcome to Great Falls – A Serial Novel – Part 13
October 28, 2014, Tuesday “How’d I get this cash?” Dennis asked while pulling bills out of his wallet. He smelled the stale alcohol and cigarettes from the recesses of his throat. “You won some bets against all them Cowboys fans,” Brandon said. Dennis rolled down the windows and felt the wind on his face. His... Continue Reading →
Excerpt from A Son’s Loyalties
Chapter One – The Dragon’s Wok He catches me trying to slip out of the door. In a game we’ve been playing since his third day home from the hospital, the difference now is he can chase me, albeit with wobbly steps. Like always, he looks up, eyes questioning where and why I’m going. At... Continue Reading →
Welcome to Great Falls – A Serial Novel – Part 12
October 27, 2014, Monday Kao sat with Tony in a corner of The Revisionist. Most of the lights were off because the bar hadn’t opened for the day, but Kristen was moving around doing inventory. The two men had a pitcher of beer between them and spoke in hushed tones. “I have to talk to... Continue Reading →