Sometimes, you just need a second chance.

This week I’m re-launching my crime novella that was published back in 2016 by Endeavour in London. Not enough readers know about the story, unfortunately, especially with so many books out there and so much competition for our entertainment these days. Now I’ve been able to get the rights back to the book so I can (hopefully) reach more readers by re-releasing it on my own—with a great new cover as well. 

Rain Down takes place in my hometown of Portland, Oregon during the economic meltdown of 2009. For me that period also marked the end days of an old Portland that’s nearly unrecognizable today. I’m not reminiscing so much as stating plain reality. Seeing my manuscript and notes again after even a few years, I realize that almost all locations in the novella have changed dramatically. Still, the plight of those stressed to breaking points at all levels of our dog-eat-dog society never does change and if anything is even worse today. Rain Down is about that, all wrapped in a crime story. 

This tale started as a short story, “Asphalt Jornalero,” that was published in Underground Voices back in April 2009. Another version emerged as a crime noir screenplay, Trickle Down, that placed in the top 15 % of entries for the 2009 Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting. The story might’ve died there but it refused to expire, so I expanded on it, giving it room to breathe and get a few things off its chest. 

I’m re-releasing the ebook version first on Amazon only (here) for various publishing-related reasons that I’ll spare you. It’s also available as a slim paperback. It’s all in an attempt to reach more readers this time around, because I like this feisty little tale with its characters and truths that are just aching for a second chance in life. I’m hoping you’ll like it too.

 Here’s the official book description: 

A man with no name hits the streets of Portland to find a friend he fears may have been killed for taking a stand.

It’s 2009, and the economy’s falling apart. Formerly homeless, the no-name man owes what little he has to his friend Oscar. As a fellow day laborer, Oscar had always stood up for their rights—maybe one time too many.

Now he needs to find Oscar and soon, he realizes, or he just might take the rap himself. He dodges the cops, tries to save his drug-addicted ex, and discovers that a desperate condo developer and his wife are conspiring to cover up a tragic crime. To get at the whole truth he’ll finally have to face his past, and accept who Oscar really was—only then can he reclaim his name and place in a harsh world.

Rain Down is hard-hitting crime noir with a heart, all in a compact novella totaling about 95 print pages. 

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You can find links to buy Rain Down here. Happy reading, folks. If you do happen to read and enjoy Rain Down, please consider leaving a review on Amazon, Goodreads, or your favorite bookstore online.