Children of Vallejo – Collected Stories of a Lifetime
For nearly all of its existence, Vallejo was a blue collar, lunch pail city where the destinies of the town and its shipyard were inextricably linked. In his first collection of short stories, C.W. Spooner tracks the lives of a handful of characters as they grow from childhood to adolescence and beyond in a hard place where everyone fought to keep what was theirs and children created their own adventures.
Spooner begins with the tale of Nicholas, a terrified four-year-old who is ready to start his first day of nursery school. Nicholas knows he must adhere to his father's advice to always be a Good Sailor, but when the first day does not go as planned, Nicholas discovers the true meaning of friendship. Fourteen-year-old Nick's dog, George, has gone missing. But just when Nick is ready to give up, hope arrives. When Carol's past shows up at her door with wild hair and a Walt Whitman beard, she is thrilled. His war is finally ending, but it is the gift he leaves with her that finally gives her peace.
This compilation of short tales shares a compelling glimpse into what it was like to grow up in a shipyard town during an uncertain time when no one took life for granted.
About C.W. Spooner (Orange County, California Author)
C.W. Spooner was born and raised in Vallejo, California, though he now calls Orange County home. He is the author of '68 - A Novel; Children of Vallejo - a short story collection; Yeah, What Else? - a collection of essays, memoirs, and poems; and Like a Flower in the Field - a second collection of short stories.
His stories have appeared in Monday Update, The Storyteller, Spitball, Lost Coast Review, and Of Burgers & Barrooms - an anthology published by Main Street Rag. Spooner earned a B.S. in Management from Golden Gate University and enjoyed a forty-year career in Information Technology management.
