Night Hawks

Four solitary souls. One small town diner. A chain of events that changes everything. Hank Spencer knows what goes on in his diner. He knows which days are best for business and whether the Blue Plate special is selling, and he makes note of the customers who come to drink and make small talk with his servers. Lois is a hardworking waitress pushing fifty who hasn't forgotten her big city dreams. When opportunity presents itself, she boards the train for Chicago, despite the risks and her boss's attempts to warn her. Working all the double shifts in the world won't take care of Clara's problem. She's young, single, and knocked up. She feels trapped-at the diner, living with her god-fearing parents, and in the gossipy town full of watchful eyes. Tyler is adjusting to civilian life after a stint in the army. At Hank's Diner, he finds camaraderie and comfort, and sometimes, he can drown out visions of war over a plate of potatoes and meatloaf, and several, ice-cold beers. These lonely souls converge under the fluorescent glow of the eatery, late at night and during long days, as the train speeds through, blaring its horn and signaling an alternate path. NIGHT HAWKS is a tender novella with a touch of noir about finding family in unlikely places, living through losses, and the connections that keep us showing up for another shift. "Michael Loyd Gray's prose unspools with the unmistakable cadence of a storyteller."-Stuart Dybek