Skywater Fiction

Post Office Street drops its listeners into the red-light district of Galveston, where crooked cops and down-on-their-luck prostitutes dwell. Yet, in this seedy part of town, Carden paints a picture of hope as his main characters seek to break free from the ruts that their lives have fallen into.

"The Baseball Diet Book is an endearing collection of stories describing the struggles of uncommon moments, both humorous and serious, and brings us closer to the reality of baseball’s goodness, hope, and destiny in our lives. Patrick Ryan is a quintessential baseball storyteller."— James Van Amber, author of Regina’s Record

In the barn, sixteen-year-old Wilma smelled the deputy sheriff, whiskey, and stale sweat, as he crept up behind her. “Herb, what do you want?” He grabbed her hair and tugged at her Levis. She twisted free, ran to her saddlebags, and yanked out her pistol. “You skinny bitch, you don’t know how to shoot.” “Try me!” His hand went for his holstered pistol.

One wild night turns into two pink lines. Sleeping with the best man at my cousin’s wedding felt right at the time—he was a hot, available firefighter, and I was the tipsy maid of honor. It’s a rite of passage. No regrets… until two pink lines flipped my world upside down. Now I’m wildly unprepared and trying to hide my pregnancy in my small Alaskan town where privacy is a myth and gossip spreads faster than frostbite. But wait, it gets worse. Baby Daddy just came back to town—with a fiancée in tow. And guess who she wants to plan their wedding? Me. Keeping the secret was hard enough.