Grace Ombry

Novelist

Category: Uncategorized (Page 1 of 5)

City Dairy
This deleted scene takes place at the City Dairy in Robin's neighborhood just before the beginning of the book.

City Dairy (deleted scene no. 2)

September 15, 2019 /

Author’s note: In the interest of starting Smokin’ & Cryin’ as close to the inciting incident as possible, I cut a couple of scenes that came beforehand. I still like them and thought it’d be fun to share them anyway. City Dairy is 2 of 2.

 

All Bev wanted was milk, bread, and Virginia Slims. And Lisa out of her hair. My stepmom’s eyes were puffy and she wore the stubborn scowl that always showed up after a long night of arguing with my dad. She’d wanted Arthur to move back home with us for a while and I was kind of proud of the fight she put up because usually she’d just sigh and give that jerk his way.Continue Reading City Dairy (deleted scene no. 2)

Arthur comes home to a cookout

Arthur Comes Home (deleted scene no. 1)

August 3, 2019 /

Author’s note: In the interest of starting Smokin’ & Cryin’ as close to the inciting incident as possible, I cut a couple of scenes that came beforehand. I still like them and thought it’d be fun to share them anyway. Arthur Comes Home is 1 of 2.

July 4th. Hairspray. Yellow onions. Burgers and bratwurst smoking on the grill. Arthur sauntered into our sun-scorched backyard, barefoot, wearing cutoffs and a ringer T-shirt. Shrieks and whoops and applause rose from our relatives and neighbors who were thrilled to have him home from the war. I’d wanted to be the first to see him, the first to welcome him home, but the sight of him through the sliding screen door froze me at the kitchen table, knife in midair, the onion I’d been chopping abruptly forgotten.Continue Reading Arthur Comes Home (deleted scene no. 1)

Cabbage, Tigers baseball and parakeets at the Le Fanch's
Cabbage, Tigers Baseball and parakeets at the LeFanch house

“Cabbage” – Corduroy – State of Love & Trust

May 18, 2019 /

Author’s note

State of Love & Trust - review

State of Love & Trust, a novel by Grace Ombry

I’m serializing the first 10% of State of Love & Trust here on my blog. It’s a story about Pearl Jam fans in Detroit’s oldest neighborhood, Corktown.

Begin with the first installment. This post is #3 in the series.

 

Chapter 2 – Corduroy “Cabbage” (part 2)

Reece’s folks lived in an aluminum-sided one-story in Hazel Park, which we called Hazeltucky.

Today their house smelled like green apple ReNuzIt, corned beef and cabbage.

“I made it especially for you,” Marjorie LeFanch said. “There’s plenty of veggies.” After four years, she’d finally quit putting meat on my plate and lecturing me about iron. Tonight she’d serve me limp cabbage with overcooked potatoes in meat juice, with a side dish of boiled celery. Like being a vegetarian made me the rabbit in Fatal Attraction. I should have eaten a pretzel.Continue Reading “Cabbage” – Corduroy – State of Love & Trust

Mr. Salty's House of Pretzels
caption

“Pretzels” Corduroy – State of Love & Trust

May 17, 2019 /

Author’s note

State of Love & Trust - review

State of Love & Trust, a novel by Grace Ombry

I’m serializing the first 10% of State of Love & Trust here on my blog. It’s a story about Pearl Jam fans in Detroit’s oldest neighborhood, Corktown.

Begin with the first installment. This is post #2 in the series.

 

Chapter 2 – Corduroy “Pretzels” (part 1)

Ellie – Detroit, Mich. – Sunday, June 25, 2006

I rang up three soft pretzels with five sides of melted cheese and a mega large Diet Pepsi for a lady who was paying in rolls of nickels. My shift didn’t end for another fifteen minutes, but Reece had already parked his Buick Roadmaster in front of Mr. Salty’s House of Pretzels. Shelby Williams, my manager, frowned on early departures. She also didn’t like employees having visitors.

We’d called that car the Roadbastard since before Reece’s dad sold it to him. It was a freaking yacht, a shameless gas hog, a rolling representation of why Detroit was all but out of business. Old Mr. LeFanch still got misty-eyed about that car. Water droplets glimmered on the front bumper—Reece had the car ready for his dad to inspect. I, on the other hand, was hardly ready to choke down my least favorite meal of the month, Sunday dinner at the LeFanch’s.Continue Reading “Pretzels” Corduroy – State of Love & Trust

fear flu
Robin experience's stage fright which Waverly calls "fear flu."

“Fear flu” Econoline – Smokin’ & Cryin’

May 11, 2019 /

Author’s note

I’m serializing the first 10% of Smokin’ & Cryin’ here on my blog. It’s the story of a young American rock band set in the early 1970s. Please feel free to share this with your friends.

Overture is the first installment. This post is #9 in the series.

 

Chapter 4 -Econoline continued (part 2)

Deuce booked us at a bar in a paper mill town that stunk like ten thousand bean farts. The minuscule stage was crammed into a back corner. With the P.A. system wedged in, we were stepping all over each other. Perry’s bass headstock was under my nose, and I knocked over Waverly’s high hat at least three times. Fed up, he hauled it out to the equipment trailer during a set break—and caught me puking in the alley.Continue Reading “Fear flu” Econoline – Smokin’ & Cryin’

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