The Award-Winning CHIP ROCK Series

Chip Rock - orphanage

The Importance of the Outsider, from Multi-Award-winning writer Michael Daswick.

It’s 1979. In the fishy SoCal beach town of No Palms, a young man named Chip Rock has aged out of the pathetic orphanage known as Boys Hall. Both unsettled yet oddly motivated, Chip sets out to find a meaningful place in the world. It’s no ordinary journey. Aimless and often quick with bad choices, Chip wanders into a rich tapestry of characters: the grumps at the No Palms Women’s Club; an outcast meatcutter; the nagging neighbor Rosita right across the street; the Old Town Dog, luckless fishermen, and the pretty new girl at the bank.

CHIP ROCK and the FAT OLD FART is a novel about revelations, underdogs, fatherhood, and the fragile threads that hold families together. The sequel, CHIP ROCK and the CATALINA KID, explores the strength of dreams and the unexpected pursuits of heroism.

These are high-concept tales full of humor, unexpected tragedy, and equally surprising joy. Dogged by peril, an ordinary orphan faces gripping situations which require extra-ordinary feats, continually testing Chip’s fragile humanity. Chip and his mates barrel through dramedy and calamity time and again, headlong into endings none of them ever expect. Chip Rock fiction won both of Columbia’s prestigious literary awards.

CHIP ROCK and the FAT OLD FART

BOOK ONE

CHIP ROCK and the FAT OLD FART

The comically doleful SoCal beach town of No Palms has never looked worse as Chip Rock ages out of the crumbling orphanage known as Boys Hall. Aimless and impulsive, Chip meets a mannerless old butcher named Deacon O’Dell, sparking an unlikely bond and an adventure of stunning hardships and gripping situations. However, there’s a fleeting chance for rejuvenation. CHIP ROCK and the FAT OLD FART tells the story of the comic and poignant friendship between 23-year-old Chip and 55 year old Deacon, and explores the glue which bind together imperfect families and flawed friendships.

FAT OLD FART is the first Chip Rock novel. CATALINA KID is the sequel.

CHIP ROCK and the CATALINA KID

BOOK TWO

CHIP ROCK and the CATALINA KID

Heroism is a Choice.

Up until 1980, less than 50 brave souls had managed the monumental open-ocean solo swim from the SoCal coast to Catalina Island. But that’s exactly what Cal, a simple burger artist, sets out to do in CHIP ROCK and THE CATALINA KID.

CATALINA KID is the nail-biting sequel to FAT OLD FART. It can be read alone, but usually read after FAT OLD FART.

HALLBOYS: Short Stories from Boys Hall

BOOK THREE

HALLBOYS: Short Stories from Boys Hall

HALLBOYS is a collection of linked short stories about the escapades and dreams of young Chip Rock and his pals, the Hallboys, growing up in the shabby orphanage known as Boys Hall. This Award-Winning collection, when read together, reads like a novel.