Raymond and Trudy

by Michael Twist

RAYMOND AND TRUDY depicts the parallel lives of two talented but disadvantaged teens going into their senior years on opposite coasts during the aftermath of the Vietnam War. Both encounter mentors who help steer them in a positive direction, which eventually leads to Raymond and Trudy meeting. Nearly deaf and dealing with an abusive father, Raymond Gaines embraces a football coach who has returned from Vietnam determined to put his life back together by taking over the reins of his father's football team. Trudy Thomas is paired at her uncle's diner for the summer with a disgraced novelist and former professor who convinces the troubled teen that she is a talented writer, able to draw on her pain and experiences. This feel-good story will not only entertain but inspire you.

240 pages, Paperback

First published June 10, 2014

About the author

After eighteen years of teaching literature Michael Twist decided to try his hand at writing some of his own. Always fascinated by human nature, Michael's stories often focus on the decisions people make and the internal conflicts they experience in doing so.
Michael's short story "Ties That Bind" won the 2011 William Faulkner Riverfest Literary Competition. His short story "Americans Do Love Their Cars" won the 2011 Quid Novi Festival Writing Contest. Also in 2011, Michael placed second in the Writers' Journal, Write to Win Contest with his short story, "Nearly Perfect." In 2012 Michael placed two stories ("Tea in Chesapeake" and "Dear John") in the finals of the Thomas Wolfe Fiction Prize sponsored by the North Carolina Writers' Network as well as making the finals in the Press 53 Open Awards Competition with his short story "Out on a Limb." His micro-fiction has been short-listed numerous times in the Flash 500 competitions.
Michael lives near Sandy Oregon with his wife, two daughters and Labrador.