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Mr and Mrs Cockroach and Family

by Donald P. Pollock

298 pages; quality trade paperback (softcover); catalogue #02-0051; ISBN 1-55369-238-1; US$25.00, C$28.50, EUR20.50, £14.50

The reader can travel through the maze of adventures with Sam & Lucy, as they go in and out of each floor of the apartment building. The story becomes more and more intense as they struggle to reach the Penthouse floor. Their compassion and love for each other would be put to the test till the very end.

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About the book      About the author      Sample excerpts      Catalogue info

About the Book It was the end of World War II for Paddy Blackhouse, and he was looking forward to going home. However, he was unaware that hiding in his duffel bag were two cockroaches. Sam and Lucy, two cockroaches that had been bombed out of their home, forcing them to find a temporary residence. Paddy, like thousands of other soldiers, was waiting to get on board the ship that would take him home. He was going back home to Canada. First by ship over the ocean to Halifax Harbour, then by train to Montreal and then by taxi to a 12-story apartment building. The apartment building was no easy match for Sam and Lucy, for to be accepted they must reach the Penthouse floor. To get by each floor they must have a password, which was not free. Each floor brought on a new adventure, from encounters with other cockroaches as they listened and learned, and from humans, who lived there. Sam and Lucy watched as the drama unfolded in each apartment, from drunks, to gamblers, to a painter, each floor bringing on a new episode. From a dying old woman, to an out of place young man; then to a woman, who fought with herself to get her body slim? Then on to another floor, they watched and listened as twin sisters battled it out with nasty words. One can travel through the maze of adventures with them, as they go in and out of each floor. The reader can listen in as Sam and Lucy become addicted to paint and how they break their habit. Jasko, another cockroach that befriended them may help, or did he have his own agenda? The story becomes more and more intense as they struggled to reach the Penthouse floor. Their compassion and love for each other would be put to the test, till the very end. Click here to read about another Donald Pollock book Frank Goes to War and The Ants Go Too!

About the Author Donald P. Pollock, Esq. is a writer who knows his stories. His imagination goes far beyond the average writer. His writing is in such simplistic terms that one wonders what category his writing should be placed in: Fantasy, Drama, Action, Romance, they are all combined in his novels. Writing day in and day out to reach the farthest part of his imagination, he then hurriedly put the pieces together to make a story. His story has a flow, easy to understand and entices the reader to continue to discover the climax. Born in Montreal, he has been a Public Speaker, a one-on-one Counselor, a Teacher, and a Paraprofessional in the field of Social Science. As a Public Speaker, he has spoken in front of thousands of people trying to let them gain insight into human behaviour. At one time in his life, he was Director of an Orphanage and had 27 children under his care. He claims it was the best time of his life. "I felt," he said, "I was really doing something positive to help them change their lives." As a Teacher of Social Science, he helped students to discover the other side of the society that most people shun away from. Then going into a completely different field of work, he set up his own small moving company and struggled with that for many years. His reason, "I enjoyed the hard work." Today he works on yet another novel hoping to share his deep feelings with the rest of the world. When asked why he has the letters "Esq" after his last name he states frankly, "it stands for 'Esquire', which means a person of good standing." Mr. Pollock is also a member of the Alberta Writers Guild.

Sample Excerpts

from p 30

   Sam and Lucy heard everything. When the door closed behind Paddy and his mom, they were out of the closet like a dart, speeding down the wall onto the floor, and then racing along the floor as if being chased, then up the side cupboard wall and into the kitchen sink. He had no need to tell Lucy. Her instinct told her what to do. They gobbled up scraps from the plates in the damp sink.
   Sam yelled out to Lucy, "Did you hear that?" Both stood completely still with their antennae on alert. They waited. Sam was trying to identify what they just heard. Much to their surprise it was another cockroach, from where did he come from, they did not know.
   "Hey, what in the hell do you think you're doing? This is my territory and I'm the first in line! Get it?" He climbed down the side of the sink pushing himself in front of them and said, "I don't know who you are or where you've come from, and to tell you the truth I don't really care. But I'll give you this, you've got guts!"
   Sam and Lucy silently retreated against the wall.The other cockroach looked somewhat different. His body was just about the same as theirs, but Sam couldn't pinpoint what it was, there seem to be something missing.
   He finished eating and then turned to them and said, "Ok, now you can eat."
   They stood there not knowing what to do.
   "Come, come. Eat, eat!"
   They did just that while their newly found comrade watched.

from page 92

   Lucy saw the woman coming back to her bed, only this time without any food. The woman placed a telephone where she had previously set her food and dialed.
   "I'm fed up." She said into the phone. "I can't go on like this. Something must be done. I've got to lose weight. Do you know that I am nearly three hundred pounds? Can you imagine that? I don't sleep properly and now I can hardly get out of bed! It's so hard to get started. But I must, I must! It's either that or kill myself. I know it sounds crazy but what else can I do. I can't seem to see my way out of this. If I could just forget about him for a while maybe I'd be able to get my life in order. You know, start slowly then work my way up to a full diet. Do you know I can't even look at myself in the mirror? I can't take a bath. Why not? You ask. Because I don't have enough strength to pick myself out of the bathtub."
   Lucy could hear her crunching on one of her chocolates while she was talking.
   "Why did he do this to me? I could have made him happy. I know I shouldn't blame him for my weakness, but did he have to tell me he didn't love me anymore? Anything, but that!"
   "I know, I know what you're telling me is true Marie. Yes, you're right, I should have kept my job. But seeing him everyday only made things worse. I thought maybe when he saw me gaining weight he'd have some sympathy for me. But no, none! Do you know what he said to me? "Isabelle, get your act together!"

from page 124

   They kept looking for a place to rest, their experiences told them to expect the unusual, anything could happen. For no sooner had they arrived, that out of nowhere they felt a vibration on their tiny legs. It felt like a bomb had just hit the building and they were feeling the after effects.
   They moved on cautiously, still not knowing where they were going or whom they would meet. They had the password, which was the only reassuring thought Sam had. Except for Lucy yelling it out to Tiny he hoped that no one had heard her. They moved on meeting no one. The vibration became louder, until even the walls were shaking, enough to prevent them from walking any further.
   "Lucy, it sounds like some kind of a party, what do you think, am I right?" Sam waited for a response.
   Lucy was trying to understand the noise to see if her memory would tell her if she had heard it before.
   "Lucy, what do you think is happening?" He wondered why she was so silent.
   "I really don't know Sam. My guess is it's some kind of music."
   "I don't think so Lucy. I've never felt that kind of vibration from music before."
   "I can't think of anything else of what it could be." Said Lucy.
   They waited and listened. Underneath the loud noises Sam could distinctly hear voices. But the noise made it very difficult to distinguish just what they were saying.

from page 174

   Then as if lightning had struck her face, it twisted a little, and then she lost her balance. The plates went flying and Mrs. Laxton fell to the floor. He wasn't able to reach her in time to prevent her from falling.
   Sam and Lucy were lucky that they were in the other pocket and the impact did not hurt them. It was only when Randy was trying to revive her that things got out of hand.
   First he called out, "are you all right Mrs. Laxton?" Then he quickly knelt beside her. The look on her face told him as she lay there on the floor that something was terribly wrong. A rigid stiff mask that was turning blue had replaced her smiling face.
   Taking her head in his hands he said, "Mrs. Laxton, Mrs. Laxton?" She did not respond. "O God, what am I to do, what am I to do?" He had not learned the basics of helping someone in this situation. Even though he had enough intelligence to realize that he was in a crisis situation and that if he was going to do anything at all, he would have to do it now.
   He gently slapped her face but got no response. He ran and opened the window trying to bring as much fresh air into the apartment as he could. He rushed back to her and touched her forehead. It was very hot! With one hand he began pulling her small house jacket off. He kept talking to her trying to reassure her everything was ok, although deep in his heart he knew it wasn't. He had a hard time pulling the jacket off.
   Sam and Lucy were braced for just about anything, so when Randy pulled the jacket off Mrs. Laxton and threw it to the floor, they held on to one another for dear life as if it were their last moment to live. They crashed to the floor. They knew that if they were going to save their lives they would have to get out of there now.

Catalogue Information