CHIP ROCK Series

    The importance of the Outsider. Chip Rock has just aged out of the pathetic orphanage known as Boys Hall, in the comically doleful little town of No Palms on the SoCal coast. Low on luck and opportunity, Chip sets out to find a meaningful place in the world. It's no ordinary journey. Aimless and quick with bad choices, Chip wanders into a rich tapestry of characters: the grumps at the No Palms Women's Club; the nagging neighbor Rosita right across the street; the Old Town Dog, luckless fishermen, and the pretty new girl at the bank.     Never shy, Chip meets an outcast butcher named Deacon O'Dell, seemingly the embodiment of all Chip's lousy luck, rolled into one person. Nonetheless, sparks set off an unlikely bond and an adventure of stunning hardships, but with a remote chance for rejuvenation. CHIP ROCK and the FAT OLD FART tells the story of the comic and poignant friendship between 23 year old Chip and 55 year old Deacon, and explores the glue which bind together imperfect families and flawed friendships.     Author Michael Daswick is the winner of the two greatest literary awards from Columbia University. His inspiring work tackles epic themes of guilt, redemption, loss, struggle, friendship and fatherhood. Rich yet quirky, always mixing humor with drama, Michael writes at the crossroads of sophistication and the idiosyncratic.      Fat Old Fart constantly mixes striking settings, and noble decisions that lead to unexpected results. It's a coming-of-age saga about Chip -- and a coming-of-old-age awakening for Deacon, who strives to learn the true meaning of fatherhood. A spree of events teaches the orphan Chip how families are born not only by blood, but also through friendship, workplace, and neighborhoods. Families beget entire communities. From No Palms to Mexico, their adventure and struggle brings together a vastly different collection of people, building into a desperate and very emotional ending which none of them expect.     Fat Old Fart grew out of several linked short stories, always portraying the Underdog, from which author Michael Daswick won both of Columbia's prestigious literary awards: The Bennett Cerf Memorial Prize for Fiction and The Cornell Woolrich Fellowship for Creative Writing. He lives in Scottsdale with his wife Kim and family.    Fat Old Fart is the first in the Chip Rock Series. The sequel is CHIP ROCK and the CATALINA KID. Chip's early years at Boys Hall are chronicled in the award-winning short story collection, HALLBOYS.  

       HALLBOYS are six linked short stories about the escapades and dreams of young Chip Rock and his pals, the Hallboys, who grow up in the shabby orphanage known as Boys Hall, in the seedy SoCal beach town of No Palms. Can beautiful motives come from the ugliest settings? They can at Boys Hall. From the chores of scraping seagull poop off the front steps to forever battling the cranky hags at the hated No Palms Women's Club, the Hallboys know all the tricks. Each story mixes humor and humanity while rising to a surprising and memorable ending. They underscore the vivid imagination of children, and their adventures which lead to friendships and bonds that last a lifetime.        CHIP ROCK doesn't have a traditional family. As an orphan at BOYS HALL, the wilting orphanage in a sinking SoCal beach town, his 'brothers' are a rag-tag bunch of Hallboys who match wits with the old bats at the Women's Club, fish off the creaking pier, and chase pirates around the ruins of the ancient lighthouse. HALLBOYS shows how shared struggles can build the bonds of friendship -- to forge families and brotherhood.        Author Michael Daswick was awarded both of Columbia's finest literary awards, The Bennett Cerf Memorial Prize for Fiction, and the Cornell Woolrich Fellowship for Creative Writing.         HALLBOYS is the prequel to the novel, CHIP ROCK and the FAT OLD FART, which describes Chip's heartache and heroics after he's aged out of Boys Hall.

            Up until 1980, less than 50 brave souls had managed the monumental open-ocean solo swim from the SoCal coast to Catalina Island. But that's exactly what Cal, a simple burger artist, sets out to do in Chip Rock and the Catalina Kid.      In the clammy coastal town of No Palms, Chip Rock and his pals have aged out of the pathetic orphanage known as Boys Hall. 27 miles across the channel, Catalina Island sits in the haze.      Catalina Kid tells the saga of Chip's lifelong friend, Cal, an industrious yet unsettled dreamer, looking for a meaningful role in his world. Following a seemingly random remark, Cal shocks the community when he embarks on a daring 27-mile open-water swim to Catalina Island.      His daunting attempt will captivate the entire town, including: Haley, the tenacious heart-throb who entangles Cal's swirling emotions; and Sherwin, a 5 year-old pipsqueak and cheerleader. As Haley helps in her mysterious ways, and the waves pound the No Palms cliffs, Cal's harrowing attempt turns perilous, drawing the entire town into the physical and emotional trials of his punishing adventure.      The suspense builds from the moment Cal dips his toe in the water. Catalina Kid reveals the unlikely hero in all of us, and how ordinary people react to extraordinary situations.        Chip Rock and the Catalina Kid is the nail-biting sequel to Chip Rock and the Fat Old Fart.      Michael Daswick's first book, Chip Rock and the Fat Old Fart, is a novel about revelations, underdogs, the fragile threads that hold families together, and fatherhood. This sequel, Chip Rock and The Catalina Kid, explores the strength of dreams and the unexpected pursuits of heroism.