“A Native’s Tongue is about a young
man trying to find his way in the world.
He struggles to keep the woman he loves while entangled in the sex, drugs, and
tragedy of Los Angeles. It was inspired by real events,” says Dennis.
Love and tragedy collide in Dennis’s poignant new
novel, A Native’s Tongue.
Charlie Winters has never been an overachiever. He is used
to just getting by while living with his single mother and working a dead-end
job at a cheesesteak stand. Meanwhile, he’s constantly grappling with the voice
of his sister, who died in a tragic car accident years earlier, echoing in his
head.
So when Violet, an older woman, sets her sights on Charlie
and refuses to let go, he follows along. He soon finds himself immersed in a
destructive relationship that still fails to fill the void within him.
But then he meets Jennifer, a mystical young woman whose
energy and life convinces Charlie to pursue her, even through the darkest
corners of Los Angeles, and sets their lives upon a path that can’t be stopped.
Escaping to the California coast, Charlie and Jennifer
finally find what they’ve always needed. But a sudden illness quickly pulls
them both back to LA. It is there, amid the sex, drugs, and split-second
decisions that pulse through the city, that tragedy strikes—threatening to tear
Charlie and Jennifer apart forever.
Excerpt:
In the cool
air, her skin tightened. Jennifer shivered and wished she were somewhere
warmer. Seeing Violet for the first time was going to be hard enough. She was
going to look the woman she hated most in the world in the eye. She didn’t want
to be shaking from the cold and covered in goose bumps.
Jennifer
peered through the bulletproof glass at Violet. There were markings embedded in
the glass, swirls that made it harder to look directly into Violet’s eyes.
Jennifer picked up the phone and listened. Violet grabbed it and began to
speak, “It was never you that he loved. You know that right?” Violet’s voice
was raspy.
Her
expressions and mannerisms changed from static to fully engaged. She stood up
and waved her hands maniacally at Jennifer, and then she slammed her fist
against the glass.
Jennifer
hung up the phone. Her blonde hair got caught in between her hand and the
receiver as she placed it back on the black hook. Turning, she slid out of the
red plastic chair and down the corridor, guided by the exit sign’s green light.
In the stale air of the prison, she searched for a pack of cigarettes,
unsheathed a Parliament, lit it, and smoked nervously.
About the Author:
Michael D. Dennis is an author and playwright who earned
a degree in English literature from Loyola Marymount University. Winner of a
LMU Playwriting Award for his play Death of a Watchdog, Michael also
had his play, Hen in the Field, produced at the
Whitefire Theatre in 2012. His highly anticipated debut novel, A Native’s Tongue, will be
released in June 2014. Michael currently lives in Santa Monica,
California with his girlfriend and two dogs, Jack and Aurora. To learn more, go to http://www.michaelddennis.com/ or connect
with Michael on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/michaeldaviddennis) and
Twitter (https://twitter.com/MichaelDDennis).
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