Ounce of Man

Anchored in the vinegary dust-scape of contemporary high-desert Oregon, the fourth book of the Duden Chronicles, Ounce of Man is a satirical, western-romance novel laced through with intrigue, adventure, unusual characters, governance-run-amok, humor and caramelized sadness. At one level, and running throughout, there is the story of a young family living a hardscrabble life of mixed crop and livestock farming off grid. Layered over are multiple stories including other romances, local artists, homeless clowns, ranchers, musicians, gum-chewing dogs, spies, assassins, uppity folk, a digital universe set in self-destruct mode, a federal government gone loopy, immigration police and a campaign to retool the nation's operating procedures. But in the end it remains a western-romance from sagebrush to pines and back again.