In the Time of Man: A Novel, Ch. 10

Going south out of Flagstaff, the land falls away with the rush of a river seeking sea level.  The tall trees of the high plateau country begin to thin and shorten near the desert.  Towns and exits off Interstate 17 roll by with only a slight touch of the accelerator.  On a motorcycle or with [...]

In the Time of Man: A Novel, Ch. 9

Becky Acuna was standing along the wall of windows at the front of the newsroom as the guest who had just been interviewed by Michelle May engaged in an animated discussion with a group of apparent religious fanatics.  She was wondering why none of the station’s photographers were recording the confrontation when she felt the [...]

In the Time of Man: A Novel, Ch. 8

Sitting in the green room at KSUN-TV, Elliot Anders marveled at the luxuriousness and abundance of America.  Every time he returned to the U.S., he was struck by the cultural and economic differences between his country and the rest of the planet, and particularly Africa.  The commonplace, like the bowl of shining fresh fruit on [...]

In the Time of Man: A Novel, Ch. 7

A large nylon suitcase lay across the bed in Walter and Ann Robbins’ room.  Ann was carefully folding clothes and stacking them in their appropriate categories before placing garments inside her bag.  Walter realized, however, his wife’s normally meticulous manner was being affected by exasperation with him.
“I just don’t understand it, Walt,” Ann said.  “You’re [...]

In the Time of Man: A Novel, Ch. 6

Barton Crawford did not believe what he was seeing.  He pulled his head away from the eyepieces of the microscope and stared into the empty space in front of him.  “Not possible,” was all he thought.  The scientist rubbed his eyes and then peered back into the tiny lenses to verify the cellular imagery.
Barton was [...]

In the Time of Man: A Novel, Ch. 5

Inside the Hogon’s dwelling, Elliot Anders lay still on his straw mat, unable to sleep, waiting for the first pale traces of morning to cross the dirt floor.  For at least the hundredth time, he counted the communal beer gourds hanging from the ceiling.  There were twenty four and each one of them represented a [...]

In the Time of Man, A Novel, Ch. 4

Looking around the newsroom, Becky Acuna was reminded of her maturity and television journalism’s emphasis on youth.  Local TV was hardly a place to be after arriving at mid-life.  She had her own vanities, of course, like refusing to wear her brown hair in the short “bob” that had become fashionable among female correspondents and [...]

In the Time of Man: A Novel, Ch. 3

(Author’s note: A lot of friendly emails have prompted me to speed up the editing process on the 19 chapters of “In the Time of Man.”  Although I had planned to publish one chapter a week on this site, I will try to get at least two posted and, if possible, three chapters each week.  [...]

In the Time of Man: A Novel, Ch. 2

Through the waves of heat shimmering off of the tarmac, Becky Acuna had difficulty seeing details with her cheap binoculars.  But enough of the scene was visible to leave her mystified.  A gray jet aircraft had landed at Luke Air Force Base and had been met by an unmarked panel van.  Although the base [...]

In the Time of Man: A Novel, Ch. 1

“Your current safe boundaries were once unknown frontiers.” – Author unknown

A hole appeared in the gray mass of clouds and a slip of green and dusky red earth passed beneath the wing with a stark contrast of color.  Circling around, the pilot lowered the Cessna’s nose and poked down through the cloud break into the [...]