Introduction

This story is "laugh-out-loud funny" as told by a "master story teller," so said the book's editor, whose credits include lecturer, instructor and author of 14 novels, in her summation of There is a Generation.

In 1950s Midland, Texas, best friends Tim and Hect are enjoying the high life. Coddled in the type of lifestyle that allows them to play “war” with .22 caliber semiautomatic rifles, they suddenly find their world turned upside down when their game of random shooting turns into a ghastly murder, or so they believe.

Hect has the idea to set fire to an old shack in an abandoned junkyard for a final thrill after a day of mischief. Tim readily agrees, though he thinks his friend's target is a wasp nest in a mesquite bush, not the shack. They fill a beer bottle with fuel from a wrecked truck and hurl the Molotov cocktail at a shack, which erupts into a fireball. Stunned that his friend chose to set fire to the empty office, instead of a wasp nest, Tim gapes in horror at the sight of a blazing figure who appears in the tiny hut's window. The human torch and a shocked Tim gaze at each other a brief instant, the memory of which lasts forever in the boy's mind. Interrupted by the sound of sirens coming from town, and believing their prank will land them in prison, if not on death row, Tim and Hect think their only choice lies in becoming fugitives from the law.

Armed only with dogged determination and a forehead-slapping sense of naivety, the two boys flee out into the harsh Texas desert. Because of their spoiled rotten lifestyles they've lived so far, the two couldn't be less prepared to face hunger, thirst, life on the road, homelessness and a hidden world of poverty and slums, plus the mean streets of a third-world country.

In their travels through wilderness and city ghettos, Tim and Hect fall into adventures and troubles beyond their wildest imagination. Added to that, they must avoid dangers such as being pursued by a ferocious 125 pound dog named Mauler. Half-chow, half-Irish Setter and the spitting image of a lion, the dog chases the two through open desert with the intent of feasting on a double-brat burger. From scam artists to wisecracking motel owners to escaped convicts and frenzied mercenaries, the friends stumble from West Texas to New Mexico to Old Mexico in a tongue-in-cheek romp that will take readers through ranges of emotion from teary-eyed to laughter. Along the way, they meet such one-of-a-kind characters as Fast-One, a slum lord and work-cafe owner who ought to meet lynchmob justice because of the cruel practical jokes she pulls; to a cowboy and his wife, Eli and Snowball, who run a diner and allow Tim as dishwasher to eat all the scraps he wants for a salary; to a trucker named T.J. and his beautiful-but-scheming daughter, Becca, who run a scam they call the "Poison Log Routine;" plus many more oddball-but-lovable characters.

A biting satire on societal excess and privilege that makes fun of the 1950s and the kids of "The Greatest Generation," the humorous/adventure novel, There is a Generation expertly reflects the wildness of boyhood, the idiocy of entitlement, and the fleeting nature of childhood in a way that will entice audiences of all ages.

From beginning to end, the fiction novel is a fun romp through lots of adventure and comedic situations with a surprise ending that few, if any, will see coming.

A sequel is due to be published in the fall of 2015, There is a Generation II. If you want advance notice on the exact date to read further adventures of Tim and Hect, send an email with the title "Sequel" to [email protected]. Also, any comments or critiques will be welcome.

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Discussion Questions

These questions are from the author:
a. Compare the 1950’s generation to that of the middle 1800’s as far as Mark Twain’s boyhood era.
b. How have times changed today from the 1800’s?
c. Do you think the differences are overstated or understated?
d. Is there any reason to be concerned or is it just “Boys will be boys”?
e. Is the innocence of the 1800’s gone forever?
f. What part, if any at all, does God have to play in all these changes?

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