Hard Rain: A Clyde Thomas Novel
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Haunted by the ghosts of San Francisco's Summer of Love and the blonde-haired, blue-eyed beauty he left behind, Clyde Thomas reenlists in the army and goes back to Vietnam as part of the 716th Military Police in Saigon. He arrives back a month before the Tet Offensive, hoping to clear the demons from his soul. But as the Tet Offensive explodes and Saigon crumbles into fiery chaos, he discovers a different kind of darknessтАФa war spiraling out of control, staining the soul of a nation. Drawn into Saigon's intoxicating underbelly, haunted by visions of Moonbeam and a new, forbidden love with a dark-haired Asian beauty, his quest for redemption becomes a desperate race for survival, both physical and spiritual. A striking and deeply thought-provoking novel capturing the politics and stark reality of war, in a place no one in America really cared about. Fought by the unwilling--led by the incompetent--for the ungrateful. Hard Rain, like Summer of Love 1967, captures a period in Americas dark history for future generations to read.
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A Life Lived in Ink
Ralph Griffith is an intriguing American author with a life story that reads like a gripping novel itself. Born in 1951 during the Cold War, his childhood antennae were acutely tuned to the dissonance between reality and government narratives. This skepticism blossomed into a rebellious spirit, finding its zenith during the electrifying Summer of Love. Imagine RalphтАЩs heart pulsing to the rhythm of the Jefferson Airplane and the Grateful Dead, his soul resonating with the countercultureтАЩs whirlwind in the Haight-Ashbury District of San Francisco, where he had escaped to.
Destiny, however, had other plans. A brush with LSD at 16 landed Ralph in the Nevada Youth AuthorityтАФa crucible he promptly escaped--his restless spirit yearning for new adventures. This escape coincided with the tragic assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy, events that indelibly marked the canvas of his youth. Ralph became an unwitting witness to history, his life forever intertwined with these pivotal moments.
Fast forward to his thirties, and a different kind of confinement beckoned. RalphтАЩs foray into bank robbing led to over 30 years navigating the stark realities of incarceration. Yet, even within those prison walls, his spirit refused to be caged. It was there, amidst the clanging of cell doors and the harsh hum of fluorescent lights, that he discovered a new path--writing. His final 14-year stretch became a literary genesis.
Fueled by a desire to reclaim his narrative, Ralph poured his experiences onto the page. Seven years spent alongside Bernie Madoff at FCI Butner became the raw material for a gripping expos├й. Titles like тАЬMonkey HouseтАЭ and тАЬThe Real Bernie MadoffтАЭ offered scathing indictments of financial corruption. But RalphтАЩs imaginative prowess also shines through in various series, including тАЬThe Harry Chin Murder Mysteries,тАЭ тАЬThe Johnny Walker Detective Novels,тАЭ тАЬThe Clyde Thomas Novels,тАЭ тАЬThe Too-Sweet Sagas,тАЭ and тАЬThe Big Huna Novels.тАЭ
Today, Ralph resides in the Pacific Northwest, surrounded by the tranquil beauty of Washington stateтАЩs landscapes. Yet, the ink coursing through his veins still carries the vibrancy of those early days in San Francisco. His lifeтАЩs adventures, as unconventional as they may be, have endowed him with a wealth of stories yet to be told. And Ralph with his relentless spirit and boundless creativity, is just beginning to weave these tales into the rich tapestry of his burgeoning literary legacy.
www.ralphgriffith.net
