Pecker Tracks

It’s 1979 and fifteen-year-old Ronny and his pals are all virgins. In fact, they’ve rarely spoken to real, live females. That all changes when Mary Ellen comes to town. Ronny and his friends, six-fingered Melv and mutton-chopped Butch, are charmed by the Texas girl who is staying with her aunt for the summer. Mary Ellen, a year older than the boys, is beautiful and confident—two things the boys are not—and seemingly out of their league. She befriends the trio who find themselves tumbling over each other for her affections, all the while doing what they do best: fishing for lunkers, catching frogs, evading the cops, and jamming to seventies rock anthems. Ronny appears to be winning the race, and falls the hardest for Mary Ellen. Their relationship blossoms as the summer progresses, but Ronny begins to suspect everything is not as it seems. His suspicions are confirmed the day after Mary Ellen leaves town when Ronny learns of a gut-wrenching deception. And later, he’ll discover an even greater surprise.

Rick is a teacher, long-time reader, and first-time novelist. A self-proclaimed expert in fishing and fantasy football, he has also written an interactive textbook his students use in class. He knows six guitar chords, can play the opening riff to “Smoke on the Water" and wants to be a rock star when he grows up. Rick was raised in Fort Peck, Montana and currently resides in Billings. He lives with his wife and, occasionally, his grand dogs, Raja and Kyrie.