Four solitary souls. One small town diner. A chain of events that changes everything.

Hank Spencer knows what goes on in his diner. He knows which days are best for business and whether the Blue Plate special is selling, and he makes note of the customers who come to drink and make small talk with his servers.

Lois is a hardworking waitress pushing fifty who hasn't forgotten her big city dreams. When opportunity presents itself, she boards the train for Chicago, despite the risks and her boss's attempts to warn her.

Working all the double shifts in the world won't take care of Clara's problem. She's young, single, and knocked up. She feels trapped-at the diner, living with her god-fearing parents, and in the gossipy town full of watchful eyes.

Tyler is adjusting to civilian life after a stint in the army. At Hank's Diner, he finds camaraderie and comfort, and sometimes, he can drown out visions of war over a plate of potatoes and meatloaf, and several, ice-cold beers.

These lonely souls converge under the fluorescent glow of the eatery, late at night and during long days, as the train speeds through, blaring its horn and signaling an alternate path. NIGHT HAWKS is a tender novella with a touch of noir about finding family in unlikely places, living through losses, and the connections that keep us showing up for another shift.

Michael Loyd Gray's prose unspools with the unmistakable cadence of a storyteller.-Stuart Dybek

Busted Flat is gritty coming of age story of Hap, a homeless orphaned teenaged boy picked up by Shiner, a veteran of the Afghanistan wars. Together they travel the U.S. surviving by stealth and theft. Masterfully told by the boy Hap, the boy's experience with Shiner gradually leads to a dawning realization that the man who saved him from the streets, who sees that he is fed and has a place to sleep, is deeply troubled. PTSD makes Shiner's behavior erratic and sometimes violent. Where will their relationship lead? Is the boy safe? What other option does Hap have? Told with humor and empathy, this cautionary tale reveals the impoverished dark side of the American Dream. Short flash fiction chapters lead the reader through this novella and paint a frightening picture of how many young runaways and homeless veterans try to survive in today's America. Hap's voice is heartbreakingly authentic, giving readers insight to how teen runaways experience life in the U.S.A.

The Armageddon Two-Step is a novel about reality and truth built for the Age of Trump; a comedic farce tinted with magical-realism about a young man named Shelby Albert Goddard who saves the world and then must live with the consequences.

The Armageddon Two-Step is a novel about reality and truth built for the Age of Trump; a comedic farce tinted with magical-realism about a young man named Shelby Albert Goddard who saves the world and then must live with the consequences.

Set in Gray's fictional small town of Argus, Illinois, Police Chief Art Millage faces one last manhunt

As Art prepares to step down after 15 years as Chief and pursue a new life running the local marina, a mysterious figure from his past returns to Argus-Nathan Bedford, the son of Brant Russell, a desperate criminal Art was forced to kill in the line of duty years before.

The troubled young Bedford, never having known his father, begins stalking Art. Tensions rise and suspicions grow. When Bedford assaults one of Art's deputies and flees into the same fateful woods where his father died, Art realizes he must confront this threat to the town he has sworn to protect.

Armed and on edge, the weary Chief pursues Bedford deep into the dark forest, unsure of the young man's intentions-or his own resolve to take another life if he must.

Masterfully blending a tense crime story with poignant character drama, The Last Stop is a riveting exploration of duty, morality, and one man's search for meaning and redemption after a life in the long shadows of tragedy and dedication to the law.

In King Biscuit, Michael Loyd Gray returns once again to the fictional small town of Argus, Illinois, (the setting of his novels Well Deserved and The Last Stop), to tell a coming-of-age story set in 1966. With the Vietnam War hovering in the background. Seventeen-year-old Billy Ray Fleener, frustrated by the narrow confines of Argus, seeks adventure and a look at the wider world in a novel that puts him on a collision course with the famous as well as infamous.

The folks of Argus, Illinois, from the small-time dealer to the returning Vietnam vet, the townie grocery clerk and the new sheriff, all know what they want out of life, but the paths to their desires are conflicted and unclear. In a narrative with all the clarity and determination of a prophecy, Well Deserved chronicles the struggles of these four people as they come to the stark realization that their paths are not solitary, but entwined, and their very lives hinge on one shared moment.

Buy this book What, you expected sterling praise from famous writers? Sorry, I can t provide that because I am forced to publish Confederate Nation myself. Besides, I suspect that many of those testimonials are just favors from friends who may not have even read the book. And you never see a bad one, right? Let s face it, the so-called mainstream publishing industry has become constipated and reluctant to do much more than recycle the gorp of mediocre but established writers. It is mostly unwilling to take a chance and discover new and exciting writers. So, I am taking matters in my own hands and getting Confederate Nation in front of readers. Life is too short to wait for a break. I m going to try and make it happen now. Is this a great book? Probably not. There are very few great books published any more. But is it entertaining? Yes. Does it tell an odd story? Certainly. And I have always thought it should be a movie, too. With proper padding and makeup, Kurt Russell could again be Elvis. A man is ultimately his own father because he keeps growing, if he's lucky, and as he grows he's the only person there every damn day to help get past the rough spots. We become our own fathers, and we should, and we must raise ourselves, even when a biological father has been there, but even more so when one has not. In the end we are solitary creatures. We're alone. The smart ones will make alliances and coalitions with others to make the trip sweeter and kinder, but it's a long and solitary trip and in the end the partners we make can't get us across the last barrier. That we have to do for ourselves. Michael Loyd Gray

Buy this book What, you expected sterling praise from famous writers? Sorry, I can t provide that because I am forced to publish Confederate Nation myself. Besides, I suspect that many of those testimonials are just favors from friends who may not have even read the book. And you never see a bad one, right? Let s face it, the so-called mainstream publishing industry has become constipated and reluctant to do much more than recycle the gorp of mediocre but established writers. It is mostly unwilling to take a chance and discover new and exciting writers. So, I am taking matters in my own hands and getting Confederate Nation in front of readers. Life is too short to wait for a break. I m going to try and make it happen now. Is this a great book? Probably not. There are very few great books published any more. But is it entertaining? Yes. Does it tell an odd story? Certainly. And I have always thought it should be a movie, too. With proper padding and makeup, Kurt Russell could again be Elvis. A man is ultimately his own father because he keeps growing, if he's lucky, and as he grows he's the only person there every damn day to help get past the rough spots. We become our own fathers, and we should, and we must raise ourselves, even when a biological father has been there, but even more so when one has not. In the end we are solitary creatures. We're alone. The smart ones will make alliances and coalitions with others to make the trip sweeter and kinder, but it's a long and solitary trip and in the end the partners we make can't get us across the last barrier. That we have to do for ourselves. Michael Loyd Gray