Chapter Twenty-Four
poignant,
Chapter Ten
ponder,
Chapter Twenty-Three
populace,
Chapter Nine,
Chapter Eleven
position,
Chapter Two,
Chapter Ten,
Chapter Eleven,
Chapter Thirteen,
Chapter Twenty-Two,
Chapter Twenty-Four,
Chapter Two
potent,
Chapter Two,
Chapter Thirteen
preamble,
Chapter Twenty-Two
precise,
Chapter One,
Chapter Eight,
Chapter Twenty-Nine
prefer,
Chapter Two,
Chapter Fourteen,
Chapter Twenty-Nine
prehensile,
Chapter Twenty-One
premature,
Chapter Nineteen
presaged,
Chapter Twenty-Two
preservation,
Chapter Seven
presumptuous,
Chapter Twenty-Three
primer,
Chapter Nineteen
principal,
Chapter Nine
principle,
Chapter Twenty-Two
proceed,
Chapter Twenty-Four,
Chapter Twenty-Six
proclamation,
Chapter Eighteen
prominence,
Chapter Two
propriety,
Chapter Ten
provincial,
Chapter One
provocation,
Chapter Five
puerile,
Chapter Twelve
Q
qualify,
Chapter Twenty-Seven
quandary,
Chapter Sixteen
quantity,
Chapter Eight,
Chapter Nineteen
quarter,
Chapter Ten,
Chapter Eleven,
Chapter Fifteen,
Chapter Nineteen,
Chapter Three
R
racy,
Chapter One
radical,
Chapter Eight
rampant,
Chapter One,
Chapter Twelve
rapid,
Chapter Eighteen,
Chapter Twenty-Seven
raucous,
Chapter Nine
reaction,
Chapter Two,
Chapter Six,
Chapter Fifteen,
Chapter Twenty-Four,
Chapter Twenty-Nine,
Discussion Questions
ready,
Chapter Three,
Chapter Six,
Chapter Twelve,
Chapter Fourteen,
Chapter Seventeen,
Chapter Twenty,
Chapter Twenty-Two,
Chapter Twenty-Three,
Chapter Twenty-Seven,
Chapter Twenty-Nine,
Chapter Two
realism,
Chapter Thirteen
recalcitrant,
Chapter Four
receptive,
Chapter Sixteen
reciprocate,
Chapter Seventeen
reckless,
Chapter Nineteen
recognize,
Chapter Six,
Chapter Seventeen,
Chapter Twenty-Two,
Chapter Two,
Discussion Questions
reconsider,
Chapter Twenty-Two
redemption,
Chapter Thirty,
Chapter One
refusal,
Chapter Twenty-Two
regimen,
Chapter Twenty-Two,
Chapter Twenty-Six
relapse,
Chapter Two,
Chapter Eighteen
relish,
Chapter Fifteen,
Chapter Sixteen
reluctant,
Chapter Seven,
Chapter Twenty-Two,
Chapter Twenty-Four,
Discussion Questions
reminiscent,
Chapter Nine,
Chapter Thirty
remodel,
Chapter Ten
remote,
Chapter One,
Chapter Twenty-One
rendezvous,
Chapter Twenty-Two,
Chapter Twenty-Eight
replete,
Chapter Twenty-Five
reprieve,
Chapter Fourteen
requisite,
Chapter Twenty-Four
resemblance,
Chapter Fourteen,
Chapter Twenty-Seven
resent,
Chapter Two
residue,
Chapter Nineteen
resistance,
Chapter One,
Chapter Twenty-Eight
retort,
Chapter Sixteen
revelation,
Chapter Nineteen,
Chapter Twenty-One,
Chapter Thirty
ridicule,
Chapter Eight
ridiculous,
What They're Saying About the Fred Books,
Chapter Seventeen,
Chapter Twenty
righteousness,
Chapter Two
rightful,
Chapter Five,
Chapter Twelve
rotund,
Chapter Twelve
rudimentary,
Chapter Seven
S
sacrifice,
Chapter Thirteen,
Chapter Twenty-One
sacrilege,
Chapter Twenty-Nine
sadistic,
Chapter Twenty-Four
salacious,
Chapter Sixteen
salvage,
Chapter Nineteen
satire,
Chapter Twelve
scaffold,
Chapter One
script,
Chapter Thirteen
scythe,
Chapter Twenty-Two
sedate,
Chapter Twenty-Two
semblance,
Chapter Eighteen
seminary,
Chapter Two
sensation,
Chapter Eighteen,
Chapter Nineteen
sense,
Chapter Five,
Chapter Six,
Chapter Seven,
Chapter Twelve,
Chapter Fourteen,
Chapter Seventeen,
Chapter Eighteen,
Chapter Twenty-Two,
Chapter Twenty-Three,
Chapter Twenty-Four,
Chapter Twenty-Five,
Chapter Twenty-Six,
Chapter Twenty-Nine,
Discussion Questions
sequel,
Chapter Twenty-Five
sequence,
Chapter Eight
sequestered,
Chapter Ten,
Chapter Thirteen,
Chapter Twenty-One,
Chapter Twenty-Two
serene,
Chapter Twenty-Two
service,
Chapter One,
Chapter Eight,
Chapter Nine,
Chapter Fifteen,
Chapter Nineteen,
Chapter Twenty-Two,
Chapter Twenty-Seven,
Chapter Two,
Discussion Questions
serviceable,
Chapter Six
sheer,
Chapter Twenty-Two,
Chapter Twenty-Five
similar,
Chapter Two,
Chapter Eight,
Chapter Seventeen
sinister,
Chapter Sixteen
sinuosity,
Chapter Twenty-Three
siren,
Chapter Two,
Chapter Four
soprano,
Chapter Twenty-Five
souvenir,
Chapter Twenty-Five,
Chapter Twenty-Eight
sparse,
Chapter Twenty-Four
species,
Chapter One,
Chapter Thirteen,
Chapter Twenty-One
spontaneous,
Chapter Twenty-Six
stagnant,
Chapter One,
Chapter Ten,
Chapter Sixteen
static,
Chapter Eleven,
Chapter Twelve
stimulate,
Chapter Twenty
stoicism,
Chapter Twenty-Four
stupor,
Chapter Four,
Chapter Eighteen,
Chapter Twenty-Four
stymied,
Chapter Seven
subconscious,
Chapter Six
subliminal,
Chapter Fourteen
submission,
Chapter Seventeen
subtle,
Chapter One,
Chapter Seventeen
success,
Chapter One,
Chapter Two,
Chapter Ten,
Chapter Eighteen,
Chapter Twenty,
Chapter Twenty-Two,
Chapter Three
suggestive,
Chapter Three
summary,
Chapter Fourteen
supernatural,
Chapter Twenty-One
suppressed,
Chapter Twelve,
Chapter Fourteen
surmise,
Chapter One
surround,
Chapter Fifteen,
Chapter Seventeen
suspense,
Chapter Fifteen
suspicious,
Chapter Twelve
sympathetic,
Chapter One,
Chapter Nine
T
tangible,
Chapter Nineteen
temporary,
Chapter One
theology,
Chapter Two
tirade,
tortuous,
Chapter Thirty
toxic,
Chapter Twelve
trait,
Chapter Twenty
transcendent,
Chapter Nine
transition,
Chapter Seven,
Chapter Nine,
Chapter Ten,
Chapter Twenty-Two
transitory,
Chapter Nineteen
translate,
Chapter Twenty-Three
transmission,
Chapter Three,
Chapter Six,
Chapter Seven
transparent,
Chapter Twenty-Six
travail,
Chapter Twenty
troublesome,
Chapter Eight
tyrannical,
Chapter Twenty-One
U
ubiquitous,
Chapter Ten
ultimate,
Chapter Fifteen
unbearable,
Chapter Six,
Chapter Twenty-Nine
unconscious,
Chapter Six,
Chapter Seven,
Chapter Twenty-Five,
Discussion Questions
undue,
Chapter Two,
Chapter Two
unison,
Chapter Three
unnatural,
Chapter Sixteen
untimely,
Chapter Thirty
urban,
Chapter Ten,
Chapter Twenty
urgency,
Chapter Nine,
Chapter Sixteen
utmost,
Chapter Seventeen
V
vacillate,
Chapter Ten,
Chapter Twenty
vagrant,
Chapter Twelve,
Chapter Twenty-Three
venom,
Chapter Four
vernacular,
Chapter Eight
vertical,
Chapter Ten
vigilance,
Chapter Two
violation,
Chapter Seventeen
virulent,
Chapter Twelve
visualize,
Chapter Twelve
voluptuous,
Chapter Eleven
W
wary,
Chapter Eight
wither,
Chapter Thirteen,
Chapter Seventeen
writing,
Chapter Two,
Chapter Twenty-Seven,
Acknowledgements
Z
zenith,
Chapter Six,
Chapter Thirteen
Acknowledgements
I sat down and wrote this book, but that seems minor in comparison to all that others did to make this thing a reality. First there’s Dad, who kept saying for years, “You need to write this stuff down,” and Mom, who said, “Apogee? Are you trying to help sell dictionaries on the side?” Then there’s Sueann, who endured all the early incarnations of this work, and Jeannette, who not only did that, but also committed the serendipitous act of foisting it on a friend by the name of Robin Hardy. And Daniel and Sarah, who insisted I tell these stories over and over. And of course Milly, The Woman and the last word on what will work and what must go.
Thanks to Jodi Wheatley for suffering through many hours and regrettable manuscripts in the dark ages to convince me to quit writing junk, Lanny and Eric Hall for being an early fan base, and Don Woodliff for many years of support and inspiring the creation of Jolene over egg drop soup and kung pao chicken in 1989.
More thanks than I can possibly document goes to Robin Hardy, who single-handedly promoted this manuscript over more than a decade until somebody finally relented, an act that never fails to inspire and awe me anytime I think about it. (Go out and buy all her books, right now! Yes, I’m talking to you.) A very large amount of credit goes to Milly and especially Sam Lott, the Texas Outlaw, for pointing out when I’m being lazy and not giving the big scenes the effort they require. Without them, this book would not be half as good as it is today.
Thanks to my editor, Gary Terashita, who gave me an education on what it takes to get a book in the store, and what it takes to get it out of the store, and who tells me what he thinks is the truth even at the risk of inflating my ego. And to Lisa Parnell for a gimlet eye and a light touch.
It only seems fitting to acknowledge my primary sources of information for corroborating details in the past year: biblegateway.com, dictionary.com, cdnow.com, amazon.com, about.com, and yahoo.com, through which I found the more obscure sites. And thanks to everyone out there named Arthur.
Finally, thanks to God, who shows up with the baseball bat when I need it and showed up with the cross when everybody needed it.
— BRAD WHITTINGTON —
fredtexas.com
BradWhittington.com
About the Author
Brad Whittington was born in Fort Worth, Texas, on James Taylor's eighth birthday and Jack Kerouac's thirty-fourth birthday and is old enough to know better. He lives in Austin, Texas with The Woman. Previously he has been known to inhabit Hawaii, Ohio, South Carolina, Arizona, and Colorado, annoying people as a janitor, math teacher, field hand, computer programmer, brickyard worker, editor, resident Gentile in a Conservative synagogue, IT director, weed-cutter, and in a number of influential positions in other less notable professions. He is greatly loved and admired by all right-thinking citizens and enjoys a complete absence of cats and dogs at home.
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Brad Whittington, Welcome to Fred (The Fred Books)