Ballad Of The Small Talker

By Chris Churchill

Jack makes small talk at a major, midwestern tourist attraction, Oakwood Village Center, a mysteriously magical shopping mall. Optimism is Jack's most powerful tool. With his expertise in small-talk and optimism, Jack is uniquely suited to his job. He has grown middle-aged at his job, but has no regrets. He has good friends and he is proud of his home and his place of work.When a visitor is injured in a store run by one of Jack's dear friends, Jack attempts to befriend the injured tourist. Thinking his recovery and departure from Oakwood was the end of the story, Jack is later surprised to find that Oakwood is being sued by the injured guest. The settlement takes much of the money and, therefore, the sparkle away from Oakwood Village Center. When the magic begins to fade, Jack decides that his optimism will be the only way to save his beloved Oakwood Village Center. Alongside his optimism, Jack uses his job as a writer for the Oakwood Village Centrist, the mall's circular, to keep the tourist and regular mall visitors abreast of all the greatest attractions at Oakwood. When the mall begins to falter, Jack uses his writing to help rally the citizenry to save the mall. Then the circular goes out of business. This leaves Jack, optimism in jeopardy and writing career potentially nearing an end, to find a new way to keep his friends and the beloved tourists at Oakwood filled with his positivity. To keep his audience, he must learn how the internet works and how to blog. Furthermore, he must teach his audience how the internet works and what a blog is.As he searches for a way to save Oakwood, he is joined by friends old and new. When Jack notices that the holiday season has become downright depressing at Oakwood, he cracks. His optimism becomes maniacal as he leads his "murder of elves" in a march in the mall that is meant to save the season. Things get weird. Jack stays positive. Is the positivity enough? Is Jack okay? Will Oakwood Village Center ever be the same?

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1546351078
• ISBN13: 9781546351078
• Release Date: April 2017
• Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
• Length: 270 Pages
• Weight: 1.04 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.0" x 0.6" x 6.0"