HALLBOYS: Short Stories from Boys Hall
About this ebook
Each story mixes humor and humanity while rising to a surprising and memorable ending. They underscore the vivid imagination of children, and their adventures which lead to friendships and bonds that last a lifetime.
CHIP ROCK doesn't have a traditional family. As an orphan at BOYS HALL, the wilting orphanage in a sinking SoCal beach town, his 'brothers' are a rag-tag bunch of Hallboys who match wits with the old bats at the Women's Club, fish off the creaking pier, and chase pirates around the ruins of the ancient lighthouse. HALLBOYS shows how shared struggles can build the bonds of friendship -- to forge families and brotherhood.
Author Michael Daswick was awarded both of Columbia's finest literary awards, The Bennett Cerf Memorial Prize for Fiction, and the Cornell Woolrich Fellowship for Creative Writing.
HALLBOYS is the prequel to the novel, CHIP ROCK and the FAT OLD FART, which describes Chip's heartache and heroics after he's aged out of Boys Hall.
About the author
Michael Daswick is a multi-award-winning novelist writing from a remote desert locale in Arizona. His work is diverse, funny, tear-pulling, wildly creative and many times, inspirational. Michael is the winner of both of Columbia's venerable literary awards: The Bennett Cerf Memorial Prize for Fiction and The Cornell Woolrich Fellowship for Creative Writing. These stories featured the clever orphan Chip Rock, set in the (fictional) decrepit SoCal beach town of No Palms. A few of those stories may be found in his collection, Hallboys.
Michael fearlessly hikes and horse-rides some of the most outlaw territory in the West and Mexico. He's a gourmet cook capable of world-class carnitas and beanie-weenie. He grew up in Pasadena, California working in a much-maligned meat market, and on the beaches from Avalon to Zuma. That seedy meat shop and those beaches provide the setting for his epic novels, Chip Rock and the Fat Old Fart, and the ZIN MIGNON series. Michael's keen interest in food started in that same meat shop.
Michael and his wife Kim have three children and two happy dogs. Everyone in the family offers a bounty of suggestions as to what direction his plot and characters should take next, and as any honest writer would tell you, this input is always invaluable. These novels would be much less than they are if not for this assistance.
Professionally, Michael has worked in the international golf industry and owned the leading dog shop in Scottsdale. He now writes full time.
Michael says, "My fondness for food comes through my family and, especially, our daughter with special needs. From her wheelchair, she's great at 'helping' me cook in the kitchen. Nobody is as excited about food as she is, and this passion is contagious. She loves the Food Network and it's her dream to become a chef." The Zin Mignon series is the written manifestation of her dream and the family's passion.
