Conditional Voluntary

Patrick Coyne is sure that the drug authorities are out to get him. His psychiatrist calls it paranoia but Patrick isn't so sure. Yet as a patient on a voluntary mental ward in during the late-1980s War on Drugs, he begins to feel oddly safe. Around him are other patients as well as staff members, each with their own concerns. When Patrick calms down the angry young Justine, he thinks his love life is about to improve. But there is a reason why she's also in the hospital. Will legally prescribed drugs bring Patrick back to reality? And why won't the staff let him have a girlfriend? I was born fifty-seven years ago in the Bible belt but grew up in a Massachusetts college town. I am married and my wife and I have moved frequently since we met. We've lived in Minnesota, Massachusetts, and New Mexico, as well as a brief residency in Berlin, Germany. I have worked peripherally in health care, banking, and insurance. In addition to writing, I have done a bit of amateur acting and comedy performances. I am afraid of heights but public speaking doesn't scare me. My wife and I live in Albuquerque with our chihuahua.