The story about Molly and Patrick came from a dream I had one night. Several of my story ideas took root while in my slumbers. In my dream, I was reliving my hitchhiking trip across America when I was discharged from the Air Force in 1978. I never saw a parrot while on the road, but several of the roads I hitched down between New Jersey and California were two-lane rural roads, similar to Highway 136 in rural Missouri.

The Rats of Plainville: Tales from the Heartland is full of real experiences I’ve had in my life. Like Patrick, I did hitchhike across the country after my Air Force Days. Like Patrick, I made it to California, didn’t like what I found, and left again. Patrick went back to his boyhood home in Missouri. California was my boyhood home, but I was disillusioned with what I found, and after six months of living back home, left Southern California for good. With my best friend Chris, I again hitchhiked across the country and eventually made it back to Europe.

But that’s another story and another book.