about the book
Mama’s gone. Dang near died alone too, ‘cept I woke up to hear her callin’ my name.
Now there’s jest me, ‘Melia, I’m fourteen. Earle, he’s eleven. And Janey, she’s jest a kid. An’ that ain’t gonna make things any easier ‘round here. We’re all each other’s got. That and Mama’s station—Brenda’s Oasis.
The Walnut Ridge folks’ been good to us, buyin’ our petrol and lettin’ us fix their cars. Well some of ‘em, that is. That rat Harley Blevins who owns every other petrol Standard Oil in the tri-county area isn’t. He come up all slimy after Mama died, offerin’ to buy the place for nothin’. Well he ain’t gittin’ it. Now he’s callin’ in the county services to split us up.
Well, he’s git ‘nother thing comin’. I gotta plan. See a good-fer-nothin’ fell out the back of a truck the other day. Says his name is Hiram Watts. He’s gonna be ‘r Daddy ‘til I come of age. He’s promised ta say so an’ we promised a roof o’r his head.
We’ll make do. No matter what ‘takes.
about the author
Louis Bayard (Bayard rhymes with fired) is a national recognized essayist and critic who has written articles for Salon, The New York Times, and The Washington Post. He is a creative writing teacher at George Washington University.
He began writing on the side after working in communications jobs for several Democratic members of Congress. He specializes in historical fiction with a bit of thriller and mystery tied in. Lucky Strikes is his first foray into writing for young adults. He says he loved the experience and hopes to do more.
Louis once won $17,000 on “Jeopardy”. He also fought his editor over the use of the name “Kermit” in one of his novels. She thought people would automatically think of, you know, the green frog. Louis won the battle, as Kermit was the actual name of one of Teddy Roosevelt’s sons and his novel told a fictionalized story of a trip they took to South America.
Louis lives in row house on Capitol Hill with his husband and two children
Sources:
Author website
Author interview: The Washington Post
Author interview: BookPage
Author interview: Blackplume
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