At the Drive-In: A Novel About Small Town Life

Recently I completed the first round of editing for my third novel tentatively titled At the Drive-In. Set in the fictional town of Eastlake, Texas, the book consists of a series of short stories spanning six decades. Central to the book are James and Ellie Sullivan who own and operate the drive-in which is prominently featured throughout the novel. As the local hangout, Sully’s Drive-In serves as a backdrop for stories about the local schools, churches, and citizens. Several overlapping characters appear in multiple tales that show them at different stages of their lives dealing with a variety of trying circumstances.

Cole Bradford comes to Eastlake as a young, single coach and returns later as the embattled principal of the intermediate school. Ron Copeland is the veteran administrator who has spent over half his life as the principal of Eastlake High School until he encounters a new superintendent with whom he immediately finds conflict. Evan Peters is the football coach and later Athletic Director with character issues aplenty. Cora, his wife, has her own set of problems. Christopher Manning is the pastor at the First Baptist Church, although we first meet him in Eastlake in the role of youth minister. Brent Griffen, Ty Mills, and the Holder family also live and work in the community. Come to Eastlake and spend some time enjoying the slow pace of life and getting to know the locals.

Although based on true events, these are entirely fictional tales. The characters are sometimes autobiographical, and other times based on a combination of people with whom I have worked over the years. Most of the events actually happened and often they happened to me. In all honesty, in many of the stories, I have changed the endings to reflect what should have happened instead of what did. Hindsight and all. My way of re-writing history, saying all the clever things I wish I had said at the time. I think anyone who has ever lived in a small town will appreciate these behind-the-scenes tales of comedy/drama/tragedy which shed insight into the day to day experiences of ordinary people doing their best to survive and hopefully find some love and acceptance along the way.