Where when it rains
An Independent Book Review ‘Best Book of 2024’
Riley could have been a professional skateboarder if he hadn’t hit his head and woken from a coma with crippling vertigo. Trapped in Phoenix and hoping to pursue his passion from behind the lens, he accidentally lands in the orbit of a narcissistic model where he is captured by the glitz of parties, drugs, and sex. His new friends are equally without direction, and together they drift from night to night in an alcohol fueled hunt for meaning. When chance offers him a shot at real love - and a real life - Riley must find a way to escape not only the force of his routines, but the pull of world events that seem intent on destroying him.
Where When It Rains is a marvel of efficient prose and crisp dialogue from the award winning author of A Ballroom for Ghost Dancing. Perfectly capturing the bittersweet fire of youth, it takes the reader on a journey across a desert both physical and spiritual, demanding we confront the worst parts of ourselves while extending a hand of forgiveness all the same.
“Where When It Rains is a devastating study of the consequences of living as though the world and everything in it is meaningless. While the characters are a lost, numbed, and nihilistic lot, there’s an underlying thoughtfulness to them that makes them feel incredibly authentic. These are people who have been disappointed by life, time and time again, who don’t have the language for the emotions they’re feeling. So they brush them away with drugs and alcohol and the companionship of others who care as little as themselves. While other novels explore this sort of hard-nosed cynicism, few show the raw vulnerability and deep humanity lying under the façade.
As painful as it can be at times, Where When It Rains is lovely. Dark, bleak, and hopeless, but lovely nonetheless. The care with which it handles its broken but genuine characters, the way it allows the story to unravel at its own uneven pace, the wonderful little additions of seemingly superfluous storylines all build a powerful narrative that will stay with you long after it is done.”
Independent Book Review
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A Ballroom for Ghost dancing
2024 Indiana Author’s Award Shortlist
2023 Gold Medal Winner - Independent Publishers Book Award
2023 Finalist - National Indie Excellence Award
Adam is grief stricken after watching his older brother Tommy slowly wither and die. Drinking too much, he has quit playing music and driven away his longtime girlfriend. His best friend and former bandmate, Mark, invites Adam on a work trip to South Dakota’s Badlands, hoping to remind Adam that it’s OK to experience joy.
On the road, Mark takes drastic action to reignite Adam’s passions, but Adam grows concerned watching as Mark uses drugs and spends money with childish abandon. When the beautiful Bianca enters the picture, Adam’s dark shell finally begins to crack, but her presence shifts the dynamic. Long buried secrets between Mark and Adam begin to surface. Pretense drops after Mark admits he has ulterior motives. Confessions fly and external circumstances start a ticking clock, forcing Adam to choose between new love and an old friend.
Set in the stoic expanse of the American heartland and awash in comedic banter and beautiful prose, A Ballroom for Ghost Dancing is a story that is both hilarious and heartbreaking about the value of friendship in the face of loss, and the hidden tragedies that we all have awaiting us, whether we are ready to confront them or not.
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On the shelf at these independent bookstores:
Antigone Books: Tucson, AZ
Quimby's Bookstore: Chicago, IL
Morgenstern’s Books: Bloomington, IN
Tomorrow Bookstore: Indianapolis, IN
Fallen Leaf Bookstore: Nashville, IN
Carmichael's Books: Louisville, KY
Literati Bookstore: Ann Arbor, MI
Brilliant Books: Traverse City, MI
Greenlight Bookstore: Brooklyn, NY
Narberth Books: Narberth, PA
Mitzi’s Books: Rapid City, SD
Book People: Austin, TX