Keynote & Author Events

It’s a sweeping historical-fiction saga spanning three generations of the Hornbeck family, from the Great Depression through the rise of the Sinaloa Cartel. The trilogy explores how ordinary people get caught in extraordinary moral and social upheaval—where survival becomes rebellion and every choice echoes across generations.

Roughly 1930 to 1975. Each book captures a distinct era—Perpetual Gloom through the Dust Bowl migration, Imaginary Gravity through post-war ambition and disillusionment, and Shattering Light as the family’s path collides with the origins of Mexico’s modern drug trade.

Yes—many events and characters draw from real accounts and family stories. Names and details have been changed, but the moral conflicts, settings, and historical context remain true to life.

Some are based on people I grew up hearing about or briefly knew. Others are composites drawn from letters, interviews, and extensive historical research. Every one of them is emotionally real.

The stories began as family history but evolved into a way to explore the human cost of ambition, faith, and survival. I wanted to illuminate how systemic forces—poverty, prejudice, and power—shape generations, and how personal choices can both wound and redeem us.