After roughly seven years of work, I completed the manuscript for "1990 Now" in late 2018. I hope that it will be published in the coming year or two. Here is the short synopsis:

On the brink of adulthood in 1990, Teddy is disgusted by his father’s company-man, country-club life in the Midwest. He sees only one way out: Teddy and his songwriting partner, Jules, load up their van and move to San Francisco to try to make it as rock stars. There, Teddy thrives in a counterculture of Gulf War protests and punk rock. But it isn’t long before he and Jules find themselves vying for the attention of their fascinating roommate, Nola, which ultimately ends in Jules taking off.

Though he misses his friend, Teddy harbors hope that his romantic relationship with Nola might turn into something lasting. But as troops prepare to invade distant lands despite the anti-war protests, and his relationship with Nola takes a turn for the worse, Teddy learns hard lessons about what he can and can’t control—including other people’s actions and emotions. Disillusioned by the failure of both his relationship and the anti-war movement he has been so swept up in, Teddy decides to shift his focus back to school and music. But then a close friend dies, and Teddy begins a drug-fueled spiral. Even reconnecting with Jules on a road trip to the Mayan ruins of Mexico only drags Teddy deeper into despair. Back at his parents’ home, Teddy begins to see suicide as his only solution. Will Teddy gain the clarity he needs in his life, or will he effectively write himself out of his own story with a plunge into the icy waters of Lake Michigan?