Hallboys

       HALLBOYS are six linked short stories about the escapades and dreams of young Chip Rock and his pals, the Hallboys, who grow up in the shabby orphanage known as Boys Hall, in the seedy SoCal beach town of No Palms. Can beautiful motives come from the ugliest settings? They can at Boys Hall. From the chores of scraping seagull poop off the front steps to forever battling the cranky hags at the hated No Palms Women's Club, the Hallboys know all the tricks.
Each story mixes humor and humanity while rising to a surprising and memorable ending. They underscore the vivid imagination of children, and their adventures which lead to friendships and bonds that last a lifetime.

       CHIP ROCK doesn't have a traditional family. As an orphan at BOYS HALL, the wilting orphanage in a sinking SoCal beach town, his 'brothers' are a rag-tag bunch of Hallboys who match wits with the old bats at the Women's Club, fish off the creaking pier, and chase pirates around the ruins of the ancient lighthouse. HALLBOYS shows how shared struggles can build the bonds of friendship -- to forge families and brotherhood.
       Author Michael Daswick was awarded both of Columbia's finest literary awards, The Bennett Cerf Memorial Prize for Fiction, and the Cornell Woolrich Fellowship for Creative Writing. 
       HALLBOYS is the prequel to the novel, CHIP ROCK and the FAT OLD FART, which describes Chip's heartache and heroics after he's aged out of Boys Hall.