When a travelling salesman finds a town that’s not on the map, he must
choose between romance and a long-held promise of untold riches.
Beckman Spiers is a grey man in a grey world—and he’s happy with that.
After 12 years of routine and grind, he’s again fighting to become Number
One Salesman of the Year. Legend has it, Number Ones get so rich, they never
work again. With a week to go, Beckman is gaining on his nemesis,
smooth-talking Tyler Quittle.
When a chance blowout on a deserted Arizona highway leaves Beckman
stranded, the mysterious Saul arrives, and tows him to the strange neon-lit
town of Sunrise. Here, he meets the glamorous Lolita Milan and his fortunes
change.
Yet, Sunrise’s small-town charms conceal secrets, and his world becomes one
of private investigators and backstabbing business deals.
What will he have to do to reach Number One? And what will he do if he wins
the race?
In this comedic, stylistic, and mysterious story, meet the most unique
characters and get pulled into the colourful world of Sunrise.
Purchase Link
-
https://books2read.com/TowAwayZone
Excerpt
With the last week of the sales year upon
him, Beckman returns to the Head Office to stock up on the product he peddles.
It’s our first experience of his boss, showing what a fearsome and and
unsympathetic character he is – even the death of one of his employees,
Belcher, is not a big deal. He merely wants the salesmen to work hard. Yet he,
like Beckman, has a lizard as a pet… just a less cute one.
He opened the second door on the left, which was already ajar. His nostrils were caressed by the familiar gentle whiff of musty air overlaid with lavender.
The
face at the desk brightened. ‘Mr. Spiers.’
PA
Amaryllis Broomhead referred to everyone like that. Well, not exactly like
that. If he were James Bond—which would be a significant stretch of the
imagination all around—she would be Miss Moneypenny. If Miss Moneypenny had a
ten-inch beehive and a penchant for garish red bangles.
‘Miss
Broomhead.’
He
always called her Miss, even though neither he nor anyone else at Pegasus had
any clue about whether she was currently married, had ever been married, had
been repeatedly married, abhorred marriage, dated the boss, hated the boss, or
was married to the job or married to the mob.
He
also harboured a notion she had a soft spot for him. However, she might have
been faking it and had a soft spot for everybody, nobody, the job, the mob, the
boss, the husband, the non-husband, the ex-husband, the future husband, or long
evenings at home with a kilo tub of salted caramel ice cream.
One
truism remained: she appeared Of Indeterminate Age and had remained so for the
last ten years.
Another
odd rumour circulated that she was family to Mr Malvolio. Beckman couldn’t see
it, but seeing anything in total clarity was far from his strength.
‘Congratulations
on your recent success,’ she offered.
He
assumed she meant the completely un-earned promotion to Number Two thanks to
the voltage-induced demise of Esmond Belcher. Either that or news of his
Sunrise-fuelled upswing in sales had reached these shores, which he sorely
hoped wasn’t the case.
If
arch-rival and current leaderboard-topper Tyler got wind that someone was on
his tail, he’d no doubt resort to ever more desperate tactics to secure the
prize. Beckman’s assault on the summit of the sales chart needed to be
SWAT-level in its execution. Surely, the nature of Sunrise made that a shoo-in?
Still, he needed to tread carefully.
‘Thank
you, Miss Broomhead.’
She
looked at the bag clutched in his hand. ‘Bruno?’
He
nodded. ‘Is there a condolence card to sign?’
‘For
who?’
‘Belcher?’
‘We
sent flowers.’
It
had surely been her idea. Malvolio would probably have sent a tardy slip as a
reward for Belcher turning up late for work and as a pile of ash.
‘He
wants to see you,’ she continued.
Beckman
gulped. The dark wood-stained walls closed in. ‘Okay,’ he peeped.
She
thumbed the intercom. A buzz sounded in the adjacent room. ‘Mr. Spiers is here,
sir.’
‘Send
him in,’ said the tinny decade-old speaker on the desk.
Miss
Broomhead gestured towards the frosted glass door to her right.
‘Is
he in a good mood?’ Beckman asked.
‘A
what?’ He might as well have asked her to outline some peculiar nuances of the
legal system in Chad.
Abandoning
that conversation, he took a deep breath and breezed through the panelled door
as if he hadn’t a care in the world, which was far from true.
‘Spiers,
finally.’
Beckman
moved immediately to his right, steering away from Bruno, who would soon sense
the contents of the bag he held.
‘Morning,
sir.’
Mr
Malvolio was sixty or so, with a huge mane of unkempt black hair, a black suit,
a white shirt, and a black tie. A younger Ronnie Wood, if he were pallbearer.
His
desk stood vast and ornate, something Pepys would have used. In the corner
towered an old hat stand, which never held anything so much as a beret. All the
walls were plain moss-green, apart from one, on which hung a sizeable
self-portrait of the CEO, imagined as if he was gunning for Time’s Man of the
Year. Behind the picture lay a secret—one known only by everyone at Pegasus,
including the guy who came in each Friday at 6 pm to empty the wastebaskets:
Malvolio’s wall safe.
Naturally,
nobody brought up the fact, least of all because Bruno guarded it.
Bruno
was a Gila monster. A long chain held him in place to the left of the desk, Mr
Malvolio’s right-hand side. It wasn’t the fastest thing on four legs, but it was
venomous.
Irking
Bruno was likely Not A Good Plan. Neither Beckman nor anyone else at Pegasus
felt inclined to test that theory.
Mr
Malvolio also possessed a silver-topped cane, which usually rested against the
desk but could be snatched up and whacked down for effect.
Beckman
wondered if today’s visit would pass sans cane.
\Author Bio –
I've been a multi-genre author since 1991.
My favourite work to date is 2019's Tow Away Zone, a quirky American
small-town romantic black comedy. It’s been well-received by readers, with
5* reviews on Amazon.
In 2020 I published the sequel - Go Away Zone. In 2021 I'm completing the
trilogy.
My sci-fi journey started with space opera “Scared Ground” being available
on Kindle in 2012.
In 2018 I published my 2nd sci-fi novel - Imperfect Isolation - which
embraces robotics, asteroid mining and a snowy drive in an 80-year-old
Porsche 911.
The sequel, Reprisals, followed in 2019. In early 2021 I released the 3rd
instalment, Trip Hazard.
I'm currently editing a reflective Western. It explores prejudice against
the deaf community and the Native Americans, as a man struggles to reconnect
with his lost son and come to terms with his own failings.
I've written a collection of offbeat humorous stories and vignettes in the
style of early Woody Allen prose. The Real Jamie Oliver and Other Stories is
basically a window into my nonsensical side.
I also write pantomime & stage drama scripts. I’ve had 8 works
performed and reached a total audience of over 5000 to date.
Social Media Links –
US: https://www.amazon.co.uk/-/e/B0092KZ17Q
UK:
https://www.amazon.com/~/e/B0092KZ17Q
https://www.christowndrow.co.uk
https://twitter.com/TowndrowBooks
https://allauthor.com/author/christowndrow/
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15130376.Chris_Towndrow
https://www.facebook.com/ChrisTowndrowAuthor
Giveaway to Win 3 x Hardback copies of Tow Away Zone (Open INT)
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responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.
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