Front cover: “Flowers,” by Barbara Paleczny, Tim’s sister
Released on Amazon
November 21, 2024
A play in two acts
A Bill to Pay
. . . begins with Pappie, a World War II veteran and the owner of Pappie’s Bar & Grill, and Pearl, his 80-year old girlfriend, who says “For every pleasure there’s a bill to pay.” After years of withholding what happened to the parents of his grandson, Pappie must pay.
Pappie wants Andy, his grandson, to take over his restaurant, while Andy is more interested in Kate, his girlfriend from Toronto. Andy plays pool with Heinz, a tool & die apprentice, for wagers he cannot afford. Then Kate’s former boyfriend, William, shows up, pitching the latest venture of his American family—beefalo. William urges Pappie to put their beefalo on his menu. “It will set you apart from your competition”—the American fast food giants that are popping up everywhere.
Fran, an MBA student who waitresses in Pappie’s Bar & Grill, isn’t buying William’s claims. She is upset about the international trade decisions that grip Canada. With Pearl’s assistance, Fran articulates the love-hate relationships of neighbours in the midst of Canada's negotiations to join NAFTA, the initial North American Free Trade Agreement between Canada, the United States, and Mexico.
And there’s more going on that the audience sees. Fran has been suppressing her secret love, while Andy has been withholding his passion for flying. Finally, Pappie fesses up, sort of. He muses . . .
Somehow these flowers
make sense together
Back cover: “Park Bench & Light” by Patrick Blackler
A Bill to Pay is available in print and e-book formats via Tim’s author pages on Amazon
In Canada – amazon.ca/dp/1738643328
In U.S. – amazon.com/author/timpal
In U.K. - amazon.co.uk/stores/Timothy-Paleczny/author/B0BLTST27N
Historical Fiction
A Life
on Water
. . . is a genre-blending novel about a marine biologist's tour of duty as an Allied spy in Portugal. Under the cover of turtle research, Ardis Lowney’s mission takes her to Lisbon’s sophisticated salons, rustic villages, and sunny beach towns. Just when her cover no longer holds water, she makes an extraordinary discovery at sea, yet comes face-to-face with her would-be lover, staring down the barrel of his luger. The narrative soars with sublime moments that clash with the absurd facades of Fatima, war, and romance. (Cavalarico Books, March 2023)
Poetry
The Tale
of Indigo
In the tradition of Ovid's Metamorphoses, The Tale of Indigo is a love poem that commemorates humanity's deepest and most enduring myth, and confronts the greatest issues of our time: greed, COVID, and climate change. (Cavalarico Books, November 2022)
Cavalarico Books
Available on Amazon in print and ebook formats
In U.S. – amazon.com/author/timpal
In Canada – amazon.ca/dp/1738643328
In U.K. - amazon.co.uk/stores/Timothy-Paleczny/author/B0BLTST27N
A Bill to Pay is a coming-of-age comedy about a young man, his grandfather, and friends who come to appreciate the price of life's little decisions. Harking back to 1988-90 when the U.S.-Canada Free Trade Agreement was in the news, A Bill to Pay calls to mind what was lost and the price Canadians continue to pay.