Some men don’t get a clean break. Their past clings like smoke—never quite gone, even after the fire dies down.

That’s the kind of man I wanted to write about in Burnt Ends.

It’s not a story about heroes. It’s about hustlers, ex-cons, and the kind of friendships forged when everything else falls apart. Set in a small East Texas town where everybody knows your name—and your worst mistake—Burnt Ends follows Ralph “Sticks” Efferland and Peter Stone as they try to turn a beat-up food truck into a new beginning.

But second chances never come easy.

Sticks has a history. A long one. One built on pool hustles and hard-earned distrust. Peter, on the other hand, had a different fall—quieter, more respectable, but no less painful. A former stockbroker and a man of deep conviction, Peter finds himself drawn to Sticks’ grit, even as he questions the man’s every move.

Together, they build something simple: a barbecue truck with soul. But it’s never just about the food. It’s about what cooking together reveals. Where trust cracks. Where hope flickers. Where the past keeps showing up in unexpected places.

If that sounds like a metaphor, it is.

We all carry something. A decision we’d undo. A path we’d never walk again. Burnt Ends doesn’t offer a clean escape from that. What it offers is the hard, slow work of rebuilding something worth standing in. Like a smoky grill that’s seen better days but still turns out something good.

And maybe that’s the point.

Starting over isn’t about pretending the past didn’t happen. It’s about letting it season you. Letting it shape what you build next. The kind of flavor you only get when things sit long enough to soak in.

Burnt Ends isn’t a loud book. It’s a slow story. Not slow in pace—but slow in the way life is when you’re trying to get it right the second time. The kind of story that lingers—not because of twists or spectacle, but because of the way these characters carry their failures, and the quiet, stubborn hope that maybe this time will be different.

It’s also a story for anyone who’s ever looked back and wondered if it’s too late to fix things.

Father’s Day is coming up. Maybe that’s why these themes hit home right now. Not because Burnt Ends is a “Father’s Day book,” but because it deals with the kind of restoration and honesty we often long for—between fathers and sons, between friends, and within ourselves.

And if the dad in your life happens to like fantasy instead? There’s The Curse of Magic—a different kind of story, but cut from the same cloth. A young man gifted with power he never asked for, trying to walk a narrow road in a world that doesn’t understand him. Two very different books. But both about finding the courage to live with purpose—no matter the cost.

So if you find yourself needing a story this June—something with grit, heart, and the quiet kind of hope that sticks—I hope Burnt Ends earns a spot on your shelf. It became available on Amazon just yesterday, and while it may be new, the story it tells is as old as grace.