ITCHIWAN

-An Epic Historical Time Travel Adventure that may or may not have happened yet.2022 FINALIST - READER'S FAVORITE INTERNATIONAL BOOK AWARD 2023 QUARTER FINALIST - THE BOOKLIFE PRIZE (BookLife - a division of Publisher's Weekly)2024 FINALIST - AMERICAN LEGACY BOOK AWARDThis is a book to savor ... Stories such as this are too infrequently encountered. Grady Harp, Top 50 ReviewerCape Cod has a secret that nobody knows … well that’s not true … though those that did, usually didn’t for long. But the few that knew and lived … oh, never mind … it probably won’t concern you … Welcome to Cape Cod! Enjoy your stay … avoid the marshes and dunes … and you should be fine … I think ... In 1968, four thirteen year old boys of diverse racial background meet on Cape Cod and form an unlikely bond which lasts a lifetime or two or three - two Wampanoag twins, Amos and Vern (poor townies), an Irish Catholic kid from Southie, Timmy (middle class summer cottage people) and a WASP, Brett (of rich second and third home snobbage). You would never find these four's parents socializing together at a cookout. But in the summer of 1968, the boys were inseparable. They did things, which led them to try other things and as a result, find something, which ultimately leaves them having opened Pandora's Box, a box which will take them 24 years and two lifetimes to close ... or so they think. The boys unleashed a little known Wampanoag Indian legend, Pukwudgees - evil, vicious, homicidal, dwarf Indians that brought down giants, fed Wampanoag babies to crows and whose stories were used throughout the ages to keep Wampanoag children close to home. Their leader, Pomarat is a skilled killer. If he engaged you in conversation, he would send a cold chill of unease up your spine. He oozed evil and his swift, unanticipated actions soon after would confirm it. Simple story line? No, not quite. Enemies become friends and friends become enemies. Poor become rich, middle class become dead, and the rich, well ... stay rich. It is a story of human nature, be it evil little Pukwudgees, Wampanoags, Irish Catholics or WASPS. It's a story of diversity before there was social media, cell phones or the manufactured term "diversity". Broadcast media was limited to 'The News' at 6:00 and 11:00 on the three major networks and PBS. The wonder of this story is you get lost in it and don't want to come out. The characters embrace you through dialogue. You become attached to them. You ultimately empathize with protagonists and some of the antagonists alike and understand their point of view and ask yourself, "What if I were in their shoes?" Buckle up for a fast pace thriller that includes, the golf shot of a lifetime, a sunrise fishing charter, an alleged witch, Bill Cosby, the former Wharf Tavern in Boston, Rockefeller Center in NYC, a shillelagh and a sling shot, up and coming Southie mobsters, pro football, Samuel Bellamy, and of course, mom, blueberry pie and the girl he left behind. This story is whacked.Everybody loves a good bedtime story. But now that you're grown up, nobody reads them to you anymore. Treat yourself. Let me tell you a story ...

From the Inside Flap

"I've never been a big fan of gore or horror but these Pukwudgees aresomehow lovable in their horrific mayhem! Pomarat could become one ofthe most evil characters of all time!" Tom Anderson, Author of the musical "The Dismal Life of Conrad Crum""This isn't 'The Scarlet Letter'. It's a roller coaster!" Michael Varkas, Noted Raconteur"I felt like I was right in the middle of the story! What a wild and funride from start to finish - you won't want to put the book down! I had a blast getting to know every single character...even the Pukwudgees!" Kaylyn Cunis"Absolutely awesome! ... every time I go back to the Cape, I am going to keep an eye out!" Kerry Corbett "I read myself to sleep at night and wake up wanting more!" Charles L. Cunis, LTC (Ret.) CTARNG

From the Back Cover

Do you like roller coasters that don't stop when they're supposed to ... and then rush off on an unexpected track? Well once upon a time ...In 1992, horrific carnage was unleashed on upper Cape Cod,Massachusetts stemming from events that happened many years earlier when four teenage boys became fast friends, went into the woods, searched for evidence of a local legend and found something they hadn't bargain for! Diminutive evil beings, the bane of Wampanoag Indian folklore and the subject of tales told to this day to keep children close to home ... followed them home ... and it was very bad.Pandora's Box was opened and the boys owned a secret they dared not share with anyone ... ever. It was up to them alone to face the horror, close that lid and reverse the mass mayhem occurring across multiple lifetimes.

About the Author

Joe and his wife Nancy have lived year round on the Cape since 1984. However, according to local customs, only their daughter Kaylyn can be considered a native Cape Codder.  Joe has engaged in numerous occupations and activities from paperboy, to bag boy, to laborer, to metal fabricator, to bank examiner, to CFO, to COO, to ghost youth sports writer, to entrepreneur, to movie extra, while writing along the way. His roots were in Marlboro, MA and he's been replanted in Boston, Washington DC, New York, San Juan, Houston and finally Cape Cod where he expects to remain firmly planted barring any climatic catastrophes ... knock on wood.

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