Second Chance

by Johnny Payne

Kara makes a decision to end her days on Earth. Writing a note to her family and dog, she believes this is the finale. A quick trip to the bridge overlooking the riverbanks, and her cares will be over. But life has other plans for Kara, and so she must begin anew. Her ebullient best friend, Amanda, blithely courts dangers of her own. Her daughter, Darla, believes she is a prophetess who controls the fish in the aquarium. Son Bucky, tender and sarcastic, is reaching a brooding puberty while husband Kyle begins to wonder how he ever could have wed so mercurial a woman. In some way each depends on the strength of this central female figure. Second Chance is a comedy dark around the edges, about snatching triumph from the jaws of humiliation. Its close-knit, offbeat characters ring with the wit, poetry, and wiles of everyday existence. They move from heartbreak to joy while barely noticing. Their collective journey to redemption begins with the impulsive jump of a desperate wife and mother and ends with an unexpected trip to the mountains, taking in along the way everything from arson and the angel of death to sailboats and Scrabble.

200 pages, Paperback

First published April 22, 2011

About the author

Johnny Payne is a novelist, poet, and dramatist. he is a recent gold medal winner of the Benjamin Franklin IBPA award in Horror. His novels include The Hard Side of the River, the forthcoming Confessions of a Gentleman Killer, Bedfellows, Silver Dagger, Second Chance, La Muerte de Papi, Vampire Girl, North of Patagonia, Kentuckiana. Books of poetry are Heaven of Ashes, and Vassal.

Payne writes novels in various genres. His most recent novels are about slavery and a serial killer. He is currently writing a fantasy novel, Man of Granite. He will be writing a blog on GoodReads.

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