Folk Tale
In the seafaring tradition of Defoe and Sabatini, The Prodigal is a tale of the shipwreck and struggle for survival of a young American ship’s carpenter who escapes one captivity only to fall into more dangerous circumstances. The story unfolds as he makes his way to Boston, then to Jamaica, Mexico, Cuba, Africa, and back with adventures at each point. At critical moments a mysterious stranger appears to lend a hand and guide him to his destiny.
The first house I remember was a double pen structure which sat up on tall blocks. It was in the western part of The Delta not far from the Big River. The soil was buckshot which had only recently been released from the clutches of the surrounding swamp water. It was dark, grainy, and very rich but not easy to farm. When dry, it would shrink and develop large cracks. When wet, it was heavy, would clod up, and be very slick--some said, "as slick as owl shit.” But in crop years when the weather was neither wet too late nor dry too early, it produced a bountiful harvest. Light came from coal oil lamps. Water came from a pitcher pump in the back yard. There were no screens on the windows. There was an outhouse close by the garden fence. The road was dirt - mud when it rained. …
Carson Coughlin’s first love Lauren left him feeling an empty hole in his soul, but after more than fifty lonely years, she walked back into his life. Lauren seeks him out, and in very little time they form a business and personal relationship. As Carson comes to Lauren’s assistance with a community project, they must deal with her jealous husband, who is in a desperate situation with gambling debts. He carries out several dangerous and illegal efforts to extort money from her. A story of two people building a life together, Michigan City Blueshows how their love helps them build the foundation of a new and treasured life together.
Billy Ray Sawyer is the All American kid. The high school football hero from the “right” side of the tracks is son of the powerful and wealthy Mayor who has raised Billy Ray to accept his racist and narrow-minded ways in 1960s Alabama. Noah Franklin is the polar opposite of Billy Ray. A black son of poor parents, Noah doesn’t have racist bone in his body until the Government forces integration. Billy Ray and Noah clash on the first day of school, and through what can only be explained as an Act of God, are forced to live their lives through the other’s eyes. Both their spirits and faith are tested through triumphs and failures in a community not ready for change or unity. Hate turns into friendship, as the two boys try to deal with their new circumstances. In an ultimate act of sacrifice, one will be forced to …
