Fair Weather Ninjas
by Michael Howarth
Timothy Dimmick is a geeky young kid from Marblehead, Massachusetts who is trying to survive his senior year of high school and make good on a promise to his late father: become a world-class ninja and secure his legacy as the “Bruce Lee of New England.” But the path he takes is littered with stumbling blocks. His mother’s too busy shopping to be a loving parent, his sister lives to get him into trouble, and his best friend is a high-school dropout who is writing the Great American Screenplay from the point of view of a fetus. As he searches for meaning in all the wrong places--whether it’s composing a New Year’s Eve top-ten list or debating the real reason why ninjas never sweat--Tim will go to any lengths to contact his father, including a phone call to a psychic hotline and a séance conducted by a Turkish exchange student. Factor in Uncle Jack’s religious views, a rap loving therapist, and an Asian cyber-girlfriend, and Tim’s future doesn’t look promising.
Order from any bookstore, local or online. This title is also available from of Galveston, Texas.
About the Author
Michael Howarth currently teaches children’s and young adult Literature at Missouri Southern State University where he also directs the Honors Program. His short stories and essays have appeared in such publications as Flashquake, Mud Luscious, Cybersoleil Literary Journal, Cave Region Review, DASH Literary Journal, and Farmhouse Magazine. His critical text Under the Bed, Creeping: Psychoanalyzing the Gothic in Children’s Literature was published in May 2014 from McFarland Press. Fair Weather Ninjas is his first novel.