Chipper the Clown


Book Description

Chipper the Clown tells the story of a man who remembers his childhood dreams of only wanting to make people laugh. So he packs up his things and goes off to join the circus as a clown. Then he is embarrassed when he finds out he isn't good at it. Nobody thinks he's funny. Who ever heard of a clown in a pinstriped suit? So what will Chipper do? He turns to the older, more experienced clowns for some good advice. This story is about the benefits of asking the right people for help and not giving up when following a dream.




Fresh Squeezed


Book Description

There's something fishy going on in the backwater town of Wanaduck, Washington, population 879, er, 878. Make that 850. Anthony "Juice" Verrone, former Mafia enforcer and guest of the Witness Security Program, is trying to hide from the Family he sent up the river. When a giant hot dog, a fiberglass bass, and a plummeting corpse put the squeeze on Juice, he thinks he's been found out. Juice teams up with Rudy Touchous, a forensic accountant, and Police Chief Dickie Gordon, to track down the killer. Instead, they run head-on into a public utility in desperate financial straits, a local troop of NASCAR-addled, bass-fishing rednecks with odd literary aspirations, and a vegetarian commune, which, in its dedication to the well-being of plants, is tossing more than lettuce into its salad bar. And what is that secret ingredient in their all-vegetarian hotdogs? The Utility's plans leak, so they bring in a strange parade of hired guns to make sure the people who know too much can't say anything. When these players mix it up at the Asparagus Festival a conflagration ignites that changes everything. Can Juice go back to being a regular guy? Or does he find out that he can hide, but he can't just disappear?




Chipper and the Unicycle


Book Description

Chipper the clown sets out to travel the world in search of a new act to keep the crowds entertained. When he sees a unicycle, it seems like just the thing. He figures he can learn to ride it with no trouble at all, since he can already ride a bicycle. How hard could it be? Really hard. After only one day of trying, Chipper takes the unicycle back to the store in frustration. But he learns that some pursuits take time and effort to master, and he learns about the importance of perseverance.




P. K. and T. K. and the Little Blind Boy


Book Description

Once, there was a little boy and his sister who had been placed in a home for orphaned children because they had no parents. The little boy and girl decided to run away to see if they could find someone to be their parents. In his second book, Richard Hurley takes the reader on another remarkable adventure of P.K. and T.K. While on a journey to find a family of their own, T.K. and P.K. find a young blind boy on his own search for a family. After meeting a magical clown at a circus, T.K. and P.K. were endowed with magical powers. In P.K. and T.K. and the Little Blind Boy, they find great use for the powers in helping the young blind boy find himself a family. Children of all ages are sure to enjoy this second adventure of P.K. and T.K. Author Richard Hurley is a retired personnel director and labor arbitrator. Richard has a passion to write about the travels and adventures of his two beloved characters, P. K. and T. K., in a form that encourages children to learn about diversity, charity, and compassion for others. Richard and his wife, Mary, currently reside in Little Rock, Arkansas. This is an eLIVE book, meaning each printed copy contains a special code redeemable for the free download of the audio version of the book.




Flatbellies


Book Description

SET IN A SMALL OKLAHOMA TOWN in the mid-1960s, partly about the seemingly unreachable goal of a high school golf team: to win the state championship.




Love, War, and Betrayal


Book Description

Ernie Tennyson, a southern Georgia farm boy, is on the verge of becoming a man?a dangerous time for a teenager in 1967. Before he knows it, he has been drafted and is on his way to serve his country in Vietnam. On his first mission, he is brutally stabbed by the Viet Cong and left to die in the jungle, where a young woman named Anna Ming finds him and rescues him. Despite her best efforts to conceal his presence and their growing love from her father, Ernie is captured by the North Vietnamese and imprisoned. His time in the camp is so traumatic that he returns home to the United States a profoundly wounded man. Stripped of his memory, the soldier fights to readjust to civilian life. Promised to another man, Anna Ming must now conceal another secret: the baby she carries. Her enraged father sends her to China, where she gives birth to a stillborn baby girl. When Anna finally reaches Ernie by phone, he doesn't know who she is. Ernie is further confused when a Vietnamese woman named Laquan shows up and claims she is his wife, forming an unwelcome presence in his life. After a tragic accident brings his memory back, he sends the romantic imposter back to Vietnam and tries to find Anna. Shortly after Anna's father tells Ernie that she is dead, the old man is murdered. With the help of Anna's grandmother, can Ernie solve the murder and finally marry the woman he loves?




The Pirate Life


Book Description

The authors of "Pirattitude" return with a book that will allow every scallywag, saucy wench, or landlubber to get in touch with his or her inner pirate.




Fears of a Clown


Book Description

In his first compilation of short stories, author John Bruno shares colorful glimpses of the fictional world of a diverse group of spirited individuals who offer thought-provoking messages as they experience both mundane and life-altering eventsoften with a surprising twist. From Russ, who finds truth through hardship, to Margaret, who embarks on a journey to find her independence, Bruno combines humor and old-fashioned storytelling with introspective questions about goodness, insecurities, and the fortitude of the human spirit that will encourage others to contemplate their own destinies and life purposes. Both inspiring and charming, this compilation of short, short stories shares provocative reflections and vivid revelations while revealing the eccentricities of a few relatable and amusing characters.




Chipper Snacker


Book Description




Crunch!


Book Description

The potato chip has been one of America's favorite snacks since its accidental origin in a nineteenth-century kitchen. Crunch! A History of the Great American Potato Chip tells the story of this crispy, salty treat, from the early sales of locally made chips at corner groceries, county fairs, and cafes to the mass marketing and corporate consolidation of the modern snack food industry. Crunch! also uncovers a dark side of potato chip history, including a federal investigation of the snack food industry in the 1990s following widespread allegations of antitrust activity, illegal buyouts, and predatory pricing. In the wake of these "Great Potato Chip Wars," corporate snack divisions closed and dozens of family-owned companies went bankrupt. Yet, despite consolidation, many small chippers persist into the twenty-first century, as mom-and-pop companies and upstart "boutique" businesses serve both new consumers and markets with strong regional loyalties. Illustrated with images of early snack food paraphernalia and clever packaging from the glory days of American advertising art, Crunch! is an informative tour of large and small business in America and the vicissitudes of popular tastes.