Sera Silversmith empties her handbasket onto the conveyor belt. Orange juice, grapefruit juice, prosecco, coffee beans, English muffins and bacon. Her hair is tied up in a pony tail showing a small star tattoo behind her left ear. She finally notices how much is in the man’s shopping cart in front of her and regrets... Continue Reading →
Small Town Stories – 1. Paulie Nuts
Paul weaves his old Toyota pickup from the uptown hill to the flats. The silver truck moves through neighborhoods common to almost any small town in America. Harrison Avenue is lined with hotels near the highway and the national fast food joints are dotted next to them. He passes a nearly empty mall but there’s... Continue Reading →
Welcome to Great Falls – A Serial Novel – Part 24
November 8, 2014, Saturday Kao pulled the tray of bacon out of the oven and set the strips on a paper towel. He breathed deep and slow to calm his still-pounding heart. Ten minutes went by fast on the treadmill when it wasn’t part of a required regimen. He actually stayed on for a couple... Continue Reading →
Welcome to Great Falls – A Serial Novel – Part 23
November 7, 2014, Friday Brandon felt the wetness of drool between his cheek and pillow. He wiped his face with the back of his hand and rolled over to face the ceiling. The fan spun even though it was off. So did the room. He didn't remember crawling up to stairs from the living room... Continue Reading →
Welcome to Great Falls – A Serial Novel – Part 19
November 3, 2014, Monday Vanessa walked out of the recruiters’ office in a puzzled state. Every representative made a good case for their branch, but when she brought up ROTC, she was instructed to talk to the representative at the specific school she’ll be attending to make sure the program was available. She also felt... Continue Reading →
Welcome to Great Falls – A Serial Novel – Part 18
November 2, 2014, Sunday Kao sat behind his wife in the tub and lathered her back with a wash cloth. They were both giddy about the prospect of another child, so much so that neither slept more than a couple hours the previous night as they talked about their current children. “Do you want a... Continue Reading →
Welcome to Great Falls – A Serial Novel – Part 17
November 1, 2014, Saturday When Kao tried to sneak out of bed for his morning workout, Erica held onto him and said she was cold. It was her way of asking him to spoon her. He could never resist. His chest warmed her cold spine. Kao put his face into her dark hair and kissed... 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 →
