The Memoirs of Spider Jack Yates and other Strange Tales

by C.A. Chimene


Formats

Softcover
£10.75
Softcover
£10.75

Book Details

Language : English
Publication Date : 02/03/2000

Format : Softcover
Dimensions : 5x8
Page Count : 196
ISBN : 9781585008650

About the Book

Looking for a fast read with a lot of laughs mixed into your history, philosophy and drama? Look no farther! This is it! In the 'Memoirs' you'll meet a true, old-time Texas entrepreneur, one hard to forget. Spider Jack will take you on a fantastic romp around the world with his quaint metaphors from just before WWII trough the 'Cold War.' Follow him through his wacky meetings with Hess, Goering, Hitler and Churchill. Meet his paramours, Abby Van Cleft and a host of others, and check out his 'Texas Insurance Company.' His intrepid forays behind the 'Iron-Curtain' for Nazi gold brings him to introspection and a desire to retire, get a college degree and travel the world. His parties with the rich and famous in a frantic attempt 'to profligate' are a gas. You'll laugh at the depths of his personal 'Squeeze,' following his Hollywood debacle that left him in the 'Bing Cosby home for the erotically deluded.' Finally you'll experience his glory delivering an amazing classified report to the Pentagon brass and cavorting with a brash blond.

In 'Strange Inventions' you'll meet the improbable inventors, their strange contrivances and sample the epic poetry that immortalized them as the author mimics the style of your favorite poets. 'Short People' will allow you to peer with glee into the lives of these infamous small ones with a clear conscience, as all of their stories have a moral. You'll meet the dangerous Japanese 'Tiger of Borneo.' The incredible Guy Veaudeaux, a short, French resistance fighter, and famous cork-soaker. You'll meet a real Gnome of Zurich and the Dead Sea Trolls. You'll marvel at the truth behind the famous Hollywood movie 'Viva Zapata' and have a brush with real Irish leprechauns. In 'Truth Stranger or Fiction' you'll find the fun and how far a search for truth can lead you. Whether he is poking fun at the ancient Greek Philosophers, exposing the mirth in the Seventh Flag over Texas, or telling the hilarious story behind Napoleon's first battle against rockets in 1812, you'll find the author's use of language uniquely enjoyable.

The following short stories: 'The Looming Glower in the Gloaming,' 'The Laahaz' and 'Noblesse Oblige' all showcase the author's droll wit and irony, and show just how far the author will go to please you. 'The 'Z' File' will whisk you to the future and back through the pages of time to mankind's original beginnings, as divined by all-seeing scholars of the future, in a way that shocks and convinces the reader with its incisive wit and comedic whimsy. Finally, with the Caliph of Frankistan,' you'll meet an improbable pair of depression horse-race touts and their zany adventures at Epsom Downs, Houston's first racetrack. You'll meet a passel of quite interesting folk, from little Marvin, the Maestro and sweet Miss Emma Jean to the mobsters from Chicago. Alas, a more comic, yet poignant story will be hard to find.


About the Author

The author, C. A. Chimene, now follows his first book, Hot Nights in Houston, with this 'completely different' anthology of his best comedic writings. He establishes a broad-ranging talent through the comedy, irony, satire and pathos of his characters and narrations. His unique way with words breathes life into the fabulous tales he lays before you, and together, with his senses of timing and humor, should have you rolling in the aisles.

Though most of his stories have a decided Houston, Texas flavor, mirroring his hometown, he goes completely 'around the world' with these tales. He belongs to the fourth of six generations of Chimenes that have resided in the 'Bayou City.' A veteran of WWII, he graduated from Lamar High School, the University of Texas, in Austin, with a BS in Geology, and received a Master of Science degree at the University of Houston in 1952. Chimene worked for Major Oil Corporation as both an explorationist and an executive until 1985 when he retired, started writing, and took over the reins of his family corporation. He now spends leisure hours at his P.C. tapping out poems, short stories, essays and novels. He is presently near completion on three more books and promises to have them in print in the near future.

He now likes to talk politics, religion, baseball, and football and tell jokes, but he is, of late, trying to conquer his lifelong infatuation for the opposite sex. Still, he admits he can 'be had.'