An indifferent universe seems determined to shower Evan Orchard with insanity-a deluge that's continued for so long he calls it the "Orchard Effect."
Evan dreams of becoming an archaeologist but his father's death compels him to take over the family specialty shoe company. Unable to compete in a rapidly globalized marketplace, his company is soon teetering on the edge of bankruptcy. Desperate to save the company and the livelihood of his employees, Evan embarks on a harebrained scheme to sell elevator combat boots to the army of oil rich Kurewan.
It's a plan that sends Evan-haunted by recurring nightmares and strange involuntary erections-from Pennsylvania to Hiroshima-a metaphor for disaster if there ever was one. Accompanying him is Amy, his beautiful, hypersexual wife, who dances between making Evan the happiest of men and destroying his world.
As Evan attempts to bring the negotiations to a conclusion, he finds himself dealing with a time-traveling dream attendant, a wise man from a world that no longer exists, his own past, and an increasingly bizarre expatriate sales manager. It's enough madness to overwhelm anyone!
The "Orchard Effect" keeps pushing-and Evan keeps on squirming.
About the Author: Howard McDaniel was born in Washington, DC. After graduating from the University of Maryland with a BA in history, McDaniel worked a variety of jobs before going into the credit business, where he held progressively more responsible positions in credit services for twenty-five years.
Retiring in his early-fifties, McDaniel relocated to Northwest Pennsylvania with his wife, Lyn, to live closer to the natural world, hike, and write novels. They've traveled across the United States to most of the nation's national parks and have also visited Japan. In 2010, they visited Alaska fulfilling a goal of traveling to all fifty states.
McDaniel published his first book, The Rules of the World, in 2015. His unique insight and imagination express themselves in a writing style that shifts seamlessly from the serious to the inane, and from reality to the imaginary.
