Fair Weather Ninjas

Timothy Dimmick is a geeky young kid trying to survive his senior year of high school and make good on a promise to his late father: become a world-class ninja and secure his legacy as the "Bruce Lee of New England." But the path he takes is littered with stumbling blocks. His mother's too busy shopping to be a loving parent, his sister lives to get him into trouble, and his best friend is a high-school dropout who is writing the Great American Screenplay from the point of view of a fetus. Tim will go to any lengths to contact his father, including a phone call to a psychic hotline and a seance conducted by a Turkish exchange student. Also complicating Tim's life are Uncle Jack and his weird ideas about religion, a rap-loving therapist, and an Asian cyber-girlfriend."

"Fair Weather Ninjas is a poignant and funny novel about Tim Dimmick, a wisecracking, over-analytical, traumatized, would-be ninja. Michael Howarth shows us Tim's many hilarious adventures and missteps as well as some dark trauma. This book is a true page turner, and my only regret is that it ended." ---Alan Berecka, author of With Our Baggage and Remembering the Body

"If being a ninja means having the ability to overcome tragedy, and to temper with grace the day-after day awfulness that too often comes with being a teen, then Michael Howarth's gorgeous coming-of-age novel is a must read." ---Andrew Geyer, author of Dixie Fish and Meeting the Dead