Two ex-cons. One food truck. A town full of secrets.
Can a hustler and a fallen stockbroker build something that lasts—before the smoke brings it down?
Buy Burnt Ends Now
Burnt Ends is a slow-burn Southern grit novel set in 1983 Texas, where second chances taste like brisket and trouble simmers just below the surface.
If you like books with:
- Characters building something real in a world that wants to break them
- High-stakes schemes and quiet redemption
- Slow tension and explosive endings
…then this story’s for you.
Buy Burnt Ends Now
Available now at Books.by/BernonBooks#burnt-ends. Coming to Amazon June 3, 2025.
Southern Grit, Hustle, and Trouble
In Piney Woods, Texas, Ralph “Sticks” Efferland and Peter Stone are chasing more than money. Their BBQ truck is a shot at something honest—a way to go legit.
But when a crooked mayoral race, a riverboat casino deal, and a few dangerous names from New Orleans heat up the backroads, Sticks & Stone realize:
They’re not just running a business.
They’re fighting for their town.
Burnt Ends – A Sticks & Stone Adventure (Available now on Books.by)
It’s 1983, and Ralph “Sticks” Efferland and Peter Stone are making a name for themselves in Piney Woods, Texas—one plate of barbecue at a time. Their food truck should be a fresh start, a way to go legit, but trouble has other plans.
When Sticks is jumped outside Duke’s Den, he knows it wasn’t random. Someone wants them out of the way. Between a corrupt mayoral race, a New Orleans crime syndicate, and a riverboat casino set to shake up Piney Woods, the wrong people are watching.
Sticks does what he does best—runs cons, gathers intel, and plays one side against the other. But the deeper they dig, the clearer it becomes: they aren’t just fighting for their business. They’re fighting for the future of Piney Woods.
Want a closer look at the world behind the story?
Download the Piney Woods Map—the same one the author used while writing Burnt Ends and building the world of Sticks & Stone.
No purchase needed. Just enjoy the ride.
Meet the Crew
Meet Sticks, Stone, and Little Bit
🔹 Sticks – A lifelong hustler trying to build something that matters.
🔹 Stone – A fallen stockbroker chasing purpose, not just profits.
🔹 Little Bit – Sharp, untamed, and loyal—on her own terms.
Together, they’re carving out a future—one plate of brisket and one bad decision at a time.
Burnt Ends is the first novel in the Sticks & Stone series—where redemption is earned, not inherited, and every deal comes with a side of risk.
Bernon Books 