The seeds for this novel were probably planted inside me long ago.
During a four year period in the early 60’s our Mom died, Grandma (she lived with us) died and then Dad died. There were five of us and we had nothing. As the oldest I had to take charge and the threat of eviction (among other storm clouds) hung over us. My brothers were 13, 10 and six. My sister was 18 and I was 20. We pulled it all together and made it. (Read my book: The Priest and the Peaches, you might enjoy our story).
Years later I was living in Florida. I had come down with MS and the doctor’s advice was to get away from the cold and ice. My wife, (there was a GREAT woman for you. Years earlier, when I had three brothers to take care of she stuck with me. Her folks tried everything to break us up.) Heck, if it was my daughter wanting to marry a “ready-made family” I may have reacted the same way. But it was LOVE—for real! We made it work. Those years taught me much about adversity.
In the early 90’s I joined the St. Vincent de Paul Society. This turned out to be one of the most rewarding experiences in my life. All we did was try our best to help people---“no strings attached”. I loved being able to do that. And that is where the seeds for “Horizon Homeless” sprouted into seedlings and grew into branches and turned into a novel.
One thing I quickly learned while working with SVDP was that the vast majority of people that asked for our assistance were just regular working class folks who had hit, as the saying goes. a “rough patch”. An unexpected layoff, a sudden illness, medications and specialist treatments for “little Johnny or Joanie”, electric power cut off for being two days late with a payment and not having the money to pay the bill plus the “late fee and reconnect fee”. No way to get to work because the car broke down. No work--no pay—no car –no job. No job—no rent money—no roof—and BOOM! You might be living in a non-running car or—under a bridge. The “domino theory” quickly becomes the “Rule” when these things happen and they happen to SO many people---all the time---all over the country.
Horizon Homeless is about Bob and Tracey Slider and their 12 year-old son, Jake. They are a composite of an average American family, doing OK, making ends meet and even having a bit left over. Then Tracey is ‘downsized” and the dominoes start to topple. Before you know it life has turned upside down for the Sliders. It is not far-fetched and it happens every day. Amazingly, people do not even realize it is happening until it has happened. Meet the people who come to St. Vincent de Paul and other organizations like it.
Come and meet Bob, Tracey and Jake Slider, an American family who are hanging on by a thread. To what, you ask? Their very existence, that’s what. Will they make it? How can they? Is there a force that moves them forward through adversity? Or will they become just another ‘homeless” statistic?
Slide through the pages of Horizon Homeless” and find out.
Larry's novel is available on Amazon Kindle and is an Amazon Unlimited Deal! Here is the link and a Facebook/Twitter posting you can share to spread the word:
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