Book Excerpt
I stopped for
a minute and looked at her, taking in the ludicrous sight of this old woman
barring my exit. “Winny, do you understand what this means? What you just told
me? Do you know what’s going to happen to Joseph?”
“Do you
know,” she asked, “that I’m going to lose my car? That you’re going to destroy
my credit rating? Is that the way you want to pay me back for bailing you out?
“Listen,
Winny. It’s not that I don’t appreciate what you did for me. I do. But can you
imagine what’s going to happen to Joseph? Do you want that poor kid going to
jail, too?”
“No… I
don’t.”
I could see
her relax her stance just a little so I stepped forward and said in a softer
tone, “Then, you need to let me help him. Please.”
She was lost
in thought for a moment, but then she looked up at me and said, “No. I can’t
let you do that. Bailing you out makes you my responsibility and I will stop
you by whatever means necessary.”
“Meaning?”
“Meaning,”
Winny said, “that I have a gun in my purse and I am willing to use it if I have
to.”
I looked at
the little purse she carried. There was no way a gun could fit in that purse.
Winny was bluffing and she wasn’t even that good at it.
I couldn’t
wait any longer. I puffed up my chest and stepped forward. “I’m going, Winny. I
don’t care if I have to move you aside.”
Turns out,
her purse was big enough to hold a gun. She pulled it out and pointed it at me
without hesitation. “Don’t you listen?” she asked.
“Of course, I
listen,” I replied, backing away. “I just thought you were lying, that’s all.”
“Someone
threatens you with a gun and you think they’re lying? What the hell’s the
matter with you?”
She took a
step toward me, herding me into the living room. I moved out of her way like
any good sheep. I’m no fan of guns. “Well, when they do that in movies, it
always turns out to be a bluff.”
“Movies?”
Winny asked.
“Old movies,
mostly,” I told her.
“How stupid
are you?”
Winny’s
question hung in the air, filling the apartment, waiting for an answer. But I
wasn’t going to argue. “I can be just as dumb as you need me to be. Just do me
a favor and put the gun away.”
“Oh, come
on,” she groused. “It’s only a .22.”
“You were
going to kill me with a .22?”
“Who said
anything about kill?” Winny took her seat on the recliner and spun it in my
direction. “I figured I’d shoot you in the foot or in the leg. You’d bleed
pretty badly but you probably wouldn’t die.”
About the Book
Title: Work of Art: An Intention of FlowersAuthor: Ken La Salle
Genre: YA / Contemporary Fiction
Oily pavement.
Thick tempera paint.
A parking lot filled with history, fear, and regret.
A young man named Joseph Arillo sits in the parking lot and paints the pavement with flowers.
And Andy Hollis steps in it.
As the new art teacher at Santa Ana High School, he’s too curious about Joseph’s Flowers and unravels both of their lives in his pursuit for answers.
He learns that it’s all part of a rite of passage, an absurd test started by Joseph Arillo’s father, the suspiciously world-renowned artist named only Tom. Which also connects to the drama teacher at Santa Ana High, Katie Bustos. Whose daughter, Desiree, may or may not be dating Joseph. Who is putting himself in danger from a local gang, the lot’s mysterious history, and the police.
Andy puts himself in danger of losing his job, his home, and his freedom. If he can’t solve the riddle of Joseph’s Flowers, both of their lives will go up in smoke – despite any help from Winny, the old, Slovakian bureaucrat at school, or his students, or Tom himself.
But is Tom trying to help? And is Joseph really up to his father’s test?
And is Andy really fit to be a teacher? He doesn’t understand kids, can’t get to school on time, and… doesn’t appear to care about art or families or anything. But Joseph’s Flowers will challenge everything Andy believes: about himself, about the world, and most importantly of all about art.
Before Andy and Joseph are finished, they will witness the power art has to provide inspiration, to waken our hearts, and to shatter everything you ever believed about humanity.
An Intention of Flowers is the first book in a 5-book series, modestly titled Work of Art, about growing into the person you always wanted to be, making the most of what you have to give and not just what you have, and the power in each of us when we chose to be ourselves.
Author Bio
Author and occasional philosopher and monologist, Ken La Salle’s passion is intense humor, meaningful drama, and finding answers to the questions that define our lives. Ken La Salle grew up in Santa Ana, California and has remained in the surrounding area his entire life. He was raised with strong, blue collar roots, which have given his writing a progressive and environmentalist view. You can find a growing number of his books and performances available online. Find out more about Ken on his website at www.kenlasalle.com.Links
Youtube
Website
Amazon Page
Thank you for hosting this excerpt of Work of Art: An Intention of Flowers!
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