The Award-Winning CHIP ROCK Series

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. TACO NIGHT and the LITTLE OLD LADY is the powerful story of Chip’s friendship with a solitary and crusty old woman during his 4th grade summer.

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.

BOOK ONE

TACO NIGHT and the LITTLE OLD LADY

In the run-down orphanage known as Boys Hall, 4th grader Chip Rock is handed a daunting task: go downtown, alone, and pay a visit to Mrs. Carruthers, a 75-year-old sourpuss and total stranger. Help her write a letter. There they sit, like two dogs sniffing each other. It’s a neighborly assignment but Chip never expected a stinky house, a bad attitude and four-letter words that fly like hornets. As the frightened orphan meets a crabby loner, Chip learns the job has nothing to do with letters or community service. Old Mrs. Carruthers has something entirely different in mind.

The world looks different to a child. At its core, TACO NIGHT and the LITTLE OLD LADY is a simple straightforward story told through the wondering and wandering eyes of a nine-year-old orphan. TACO NIGHT portrays the permanent adolescence in all of us, and how the smallest details in a life mean the world to a nine-year-old, and maybe to a 75-year-old woman as well. Chip tries to keep a joyful attitude, but it isn’t easy. While humor and dignity echo in the fringes, and leak in when least expected, it’s always tough going. Can a forgotten recluse teach Chip about the magic of aging, or will he watch the unraveling of a long-suffering soul?

TACO NIGHT chronicles Chip’s 4th grade summer, with its magic and disruption. It’s the start of Michael Daswick’s No Palms trilogy, taking place several years before CHIP ROCK and the FAT OLD FART (Amazon #1) and the finale, CHIP ROCK and the CATALINA KID. The importance of the underdog and fractured families bloom as Chip and his mates always fight for a place in their world. Dire situations lead to shocking decisions, heroic choices, and unexpected results.

BOOK TWO

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.

BOOK THREE

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.

BOOK FOUR

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.