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“A life inside yourself isn’t a life.”
Seventeen stories laced with humor and heart crisscross America where ordinary men and women search for identity and order. A retired colonel investigates a cloaked figure at a naval station. Struggling with PTSD, a sister makes a request of her brother. After success at work, a man’s stress outlet creates problems on a family vacation. Old flames cross paths and tour a cave. A former athlete weighs an invitation to a ceremony honoring his team’s achievements. On the day of the winter solstice, a trail guide takes a stranger to a vista. During the last day of filming, a reality show’s contestant wrestles with his goal. And a grandfather distracts his granddaughter with the outdoors while her parents figure out their marriage. From the coasts to the lands in between, these and other characters seek connection and meaning amid expectations, responsibilities, and chaos.
244 pages
ISBN (print): 9798986092782
ISBN (ebook): 9798986092799
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Order the book (print and ebook).
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And now for this month’s story…
William Auten
Copyright William Auten
The cabin door creaks open as we agree the episode we listened to on the way back was depressing. Silas drops off the fish while I unload the groceries.
“Dating nowadays sounds miserable.” He sets our jackets on the coatrack and our hiking shoes on the mat. “A social-media post waiting to explode. All for an audience.”
“Wait until you go into these online forums. The women there love the attention.” I set out a lemon and rosemary but can’t remember what else my recipe calls for. “If you put the toilet roll on the wrong way or your income drops or she’s bored…”
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