Tim Chaney

Beyond Utopia Tim Chaney

Winner - First Place - Houston Writers Guild- HWG Spring Manuscript Contest 2015 (Mainstream, Contemporary, Historical Fiction) In 1971, driven by the thrill of adventure, yet apprehensive of what lurks beyond, life-loving/lifelong friends Jim Mayfield, the searcher, and Bob Tomkins, the trailblazer, raised their thumbs high, departed Houston on a quest for Colorado, and got the ride of a lifetime. Diffident Jim, bogged in a hapless mire, is rescued when audacious Bob sets in motion the unlikely coming-of-age event that is the humorous, heartwarming, and nostalgic story of how Jim Mayfield became Jim Mayfield. Set in the beautiful Texas Hill Country the boys are sidetracked when Bob's effervescence and bold confidence attracts a collage of revelers and Jim falls for the captivating, dark-haired, beautiful Annie Caldwell. Soon the boys are getting high, romping in the crystal waters of the Rio Frio, and creating mischief as the beautiful river valley becomes an idyllic microcosm for raucous revelry, comradery, and summer-in-the-park romance.