Riverside

By Miguel Antonio Ortiz

The story begins with Marco learning about the death of Sharon Hobbart, with whom he had been recently involved. The lurid headline in the morning paper launches a series of recollections that reveal his various relationships with women: friends, lovers, and relatives.
Marco believes that he loves Sharon, but the liaison starts as compensation for Frannie Thompson’s refusal to romantically respond to his advances. His ex-wife, Gail, had introduced him to the Thompson’s, and they had all proceeded to become attached to him in their own way. Frannie’s mother, Bella, sees him as an ideal man, a model for her son, unlike her husband, and when Marco become single again, she sees him as a possible partner for Frannie.
Mr. Thomson also had become attached to Marco and was instrumental in guiding him in the initial business dealing that led to his financial success. Once a month, as weather permits, the two men go golfing. Mr. Thomson does not see an attachment to his daughter as an advantage for Marco, but if that is what he wants he will advise him on the best course to take. To Mr. Thompson marriage too is a business deal.
Into that milieu enters Sharon Hobbart, an earthy personality. To Bella’s chagrin her son becomes attached to her. For several reasons Bella considers Sharon an unsavory character, moreover, she is a married woman. Bella calls on Marco to help her out and the entanglements grow from there.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Miguel Antonio Ortiz
• Release date: Oct 6, 2013
• ISBN: 9780979598623

Miguel Antonio Ortiz

Miguel Antonio Ortiz still resides in Brooklyn where tales of the past continue to find their way from his imagination to the printed page. He was formerly an editor at Hanging Loose Press and Publications Director at Teachers & Writers Collaborative. He is the author of King of Swords, a family saga and historical novel; The Cisco Kid in the Bronx, an episodic novel about a young man growing up in New York City; Parental Sins, a novel that explores how the acts of one generation affect the next.