Wednesday, August 20, 2008

John Straley: The Music Of What Happens



More from my LifeDrive (it is stuffed!). I hope John Straley will be able to get his Cecil Younger series into eBook form. It's been neglected in print -- not every book is in print -- and needs to be read by, well, everyone.

"Where are we going?"

"Don't worry, son. You'll get your billable hours in this thing. But you're not on the clock right now, so don't ask so many questions."

The car was pulling out onto the only four-lane highway in southeastern Alaska. Teller accelerated with a force that threw me back into my seat. I wedged my shoulder against the door post, reached my leg over the carpeted hump, and tromped down on the brake. The car skidded and fishtailed into the side rail. Teller was pulled up hard against his chest belt but his head bumped into the visors knocking his hat off. He showed a wild mass of brown and gray mottled hair. His eyes looked like welding torches as he reached a large hand over to my shirtfront and grabbed me by the scruff. I took the two fingers of my right hand and darted them into his windpipe just hard enough so he started to sputter, releasing my shirt. I grabbed the top of his hair and very gently tapped his forehead against the steering wheel. In cadence with the rhythm I was tapping with his head I said softly:

"I'm . . . not . . . your . . . son." Then I let go of his hair.

Teller sat over the steering wheel not really hurt but trembling with all the possibilities of what he wanted to do to me next. I undid my seat belt and unlatched the door.

"You don't know me, Mr. Teller, so I apologize for my reaction. But there is a long, long list of people that I have to take shit from. You are not on that list."

[pg. 56]

[Copyright © 1996 by John Straley]

For humor and realistic characters, Straley is ace.

And he has a new stand-alone book just out, The Big Both Ways:



John Straley website

See John Straley's eBook status at The eBook Test blog.

Previously here:

John Straley’s New Book: May 2, 2008
John Straley Has A New Book Coming!

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