Works of Fiction
Impure Thoughts
Four Novellas by Duke Ryan
Available for $12.95 at PublishAmerica. Also available at Amazon.com
The Arsonists
A high-school loner plunges into a series of pointless felonies and forces a terrified younger schoolmate to become an accomplice. Weller, a volunteer policeman, must fight his own chief before he can stop it all.
The Stunt
Weller, an ex-Navy pilot, helps a young protégé learn to fly. But he should have known more about his new friend first. The result is spectacular but disastrous.
The Return of the Visigoths
Vivid daydreams help Larry, 18, escape painful realities. Sometimes he’s a handsome cavalier, sometimes a fearless Roman soldier. But his daydreams become real when he meets an older, married woman, and his troubles vanish—until the crash.
God’s Phone Booth
Larry, 12, has a serious problem--religion, but he thinks it’s sex. The people who could help him, his mother and a priest, only confuse him more.
Further Reviews and Reader Comments
“…It's guy's lit, but fascinating to any woman who ever had a brother, son or partner who skirted along these same dangerous byways.” (Kristie Miller, News Tribune, LaSalle, Ill., February 11, 2005)
“…Impure Thoughts is the perfect take-along book—only 145 pages, literally short and sweet.” (Shirley Roe, Allbooks Reviews)
“…Enjoyed Impure Thoughts very much…In particular, thought the first one, “The Arsonists,” one of the scariest things ever read… Congratulations.” (Michael Grosvenor-Myer, formerly a literary and theater critic for The Times [London] and The Guardian)
“…I’ve just spent a most enjoyable 45 minutes in God’s Phone Booth chuckling away at the mental gymnastics of a 12-year-old… a wonderfully flowing style, very conversational, easy to read.” (Frederic Hunter, former foreign correspondent [Christian Science Monitor] television writer and author of Africa, Africa!)
Excerpts from Impure Thoughts
“The Arsonists” (page 56)
"Suddenly, with flames bursting out everywhere I looked and smoke seeping more and more into my lungs, an enormous chunk of a roof beam, blazing with fire, crashed onto the second floor and exploded, sending glowing shrapnel flying in all directions. I screamed, ducked, and tried to pull my arm free, but Alex held it fast. I tugged again, but it was useless, I couldn’t break his grip, so I took his arm in my free hand, lifted it swiftly, and before he had time to react I bit it with all my might. He shrieked in pain, and I ran down the stairs as fast as I could. Unsteady from crouching for so long and disoriented by the chaos all around me, I stumbled through swirling smoke, roaring fire, and crashing wood. At the bottom of the stairs I heard a sharp crack, then another, above all the other noises. But they scarcely registered, just staccato reports from God knew where in the midst of Bedlam. Later, I felt sure that the noise came from Alex’ gun, shooting at me."
“The Return of the Visigoths” (page 107)
"Ann taught Larry how to make love. The first occasion was in her car, the first attempt, let’s say…. They kissed deliciously. He ran his hands gently over her body, and she was magnificently responsive. Then suddenly he stopped everything and set about taking off all his clothes. Wasn’t that what one did? It was a naked sort of a business, wasn’t it? Alas, here was the stuff facts-of-life talks and encyclopedia articles never quite get around to. So there he was starkers and she fully turned out in her party clothes. Then within just a moment or so he realized that the whole thing was ridiculously incongruous, but he didn’t have the slightest idea what to do about it."