On and On

“A mystical morality tale for our time, set in a hilariously dysfunctional, amoral corporation, where one brave soul is trying to survive while holding on to her convictions.”

• Jerry Adler, Author, Journalist, and The Resistance Poet (jerryadler.substack.com)

Cheryl Ricard’s passion is the struggle against climate change, but saving the planet doesn’t pay very well. She can’t make the rent on her apartment, her refuge from a world where she doesn’t quite fit in. Social anxiety and occasional angry outbursts have cost her relationships and jobs. So when her cousin helps her get an interview at Success Dynamics, Inc., a company that helps big businesses motivate employees to work harder, she knows she has to step up —even though it means selling out.

Cheryl finds herself in a bizarre corporate world she had never dreamed of, surrounded by video screens playing company propaganda, required to wear mandatory earbuds that give her unwanted advice as she wanders the vast corporate campus, continuously tracked by the HR department. She meets weary bureaucrats, true believers, pompous has-beens and playful geniuses, and finds herself in a complicated relationship with her boss, the star salesman of Success Dynamics, Jack Weatherly. She detests everything about him and he sees her as a clueless nobody, even though he depends on her competence.

Then one night Cheryl and Jack get stranded in the desert on a company outing gone wrong. Cold and lost, they find refuge with a mysterious cult of stargazers, an encounter that leaves them baffled and intrigued — and permanently changed in unexpected ways.

When Cheryl discovers an explosive secret about Success Dynamics’ most important client, she’s determined to expose it, but doesn’t know how. The only person she can turn to is Jack. Will he risk his success to do what he knows is right?

Eric von Schrader was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri, where his books are set. His Intersecting Worlds trilogy grew out of thoughts about what the city is, what it was (all the way back to ancient times), and what it might become.Writing is the best adventure he's discovered. He enjoys dreaming, speculating, and crafting stories that take readers on surprising journeys. Before writing fiction, he made documentary films, produced television shows, helped start a community radio station, and worked as a writer and consultant for businesses. He and his wife live near the ocean in Carpinteria, California. Eric loves hearing from readers. Visit his website at ericvonschrader.com where you can send a message and join his mailing list.Follow him on Facebook at facebook.com/auniverselesstraveled