My Story

Sometimes the most intriguing life stories come from seemingly insignificant people. Shy, quiet Andy French, always the underdog, is just such a person—and what a story he has to tell.

He begins his life during the Great Depression. His family is poor—and his home life poorer—but he’s surrounded by uncles, cousins, gang members, and soldiers able to teach him how to survive in the meanest of times: by not asking too many questions.

For example, when Andy needs money, he takes on a number of odd jobs. The completely aboveboard ones, like picking crops and working in ice trucks, pay OK. The ones where questions should most definitely not be asked—and where there is a distinct risk of being shot—pay better.

From an early age, Andy learns to expect the unexpected and to keep his mouth shut, and it turns out that those are exactly the skills that will save his life time and time again. From a bounty on his head to a mysterious murder investigation and even a too-good-to-be-true job that leaves him on the run for a decade, Andy’s adventurous life is never dull.

My Story is the collaborative effort of Andy Spain and Autumn. Andy Spain began writing in an effort to stave off a possible diagnosis of Alzheimer's. He has a family history of the disease, and what started as a healthful exercise for the mind quickly became an inspired passion for words.

Autumn is the author of Black and Blue: The Color of Love. She worked with Andy to complete his work on My Story, but her participation started after the first draft had been penned.