Tales from Two-Bit Street and Beyond Part 2 (Tales from H.E.L.)

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Tales from Two-Bit Street and beyond… Part II consists of 13 tales, based on legends of Ogden, Utah’s Historic 25th Street. This infamous street came into being with the opening of Union Station during the completion of the First Transcontinental Railroad in 1869. The original Union Station burnt down in 1923. During the early 20th century, 25th Street was THE place in Ogden. In between family-owned shops and restaurants, ice cream parlors and hotels there were bootlegging, gambling, narcotic sales and prostitution. The rich history and spooky legends are where the Two-Bit-authors found the fodder for their stories. The stories are scary, funny, melancholy and sometimes a bit racy.

The book is for an adult audience.

A sick young woman falls in love knowing she’s dying
A man gets a perfect shave from a mysterious barber
A vintage guitar and an old hotel hold secrets of a girl’s past
A cleaning lady longs for the past and is granted her wish
A man finds out his dream woman isn’t as dreamy as he thought
A PI and a cryptic message help a dying man find his lost love
A knitting store attracts all kinds of knitters—alive or dead
A boy befriends colorful women on Historic 25th Street
A fire forges an unlikely friendship between four individuals
A young man accepts a dare but might not live to tell the tale
A woman thinks she buys her dream Victorian house, but is it?
A restaurant owner has a secret admirer
A mysterious man seems to be a welcome diversion to a bored woman...

The book is compiled by Drienie Hattingh and written by 10 local authors. Just as varied as the stories, so are the author's backgrounds--a translator, pharmacist, housewife, newspaper editor, accountant, columnist, therapist, private investigator, physicist—even a belly dancer.

Contributing authors:

Patricia Bossano author of award-winning Faery Sight and soon to be released Cradle Gift is of Ecuadorian descent. She taught Spanish and is also a translator and interpreter.

Michael Bourn author of One Dead Ranger writes fiction and poetry.

Vicki Droogsma a native of England now living in Ogden loves the art of writing.

Doug Gibson, editorial page editor for the Standard-Examiner based in Ogden has been a journalist for more than 20 years and also taught journalism.

Michele McKinnon received a Master’s degree in accounting from Weber State University. She turned her love of the written word into her own writing.

Drienie Hattingh compiled this anthology. She’s a native of South Africa and now lives on Historic 25th Street in Ogden. She has been a columnist for 17 years. Her articles have been published in newspapers and magazines in America and South Africa and her essays were published in 3 St. Martins’ Press Christmas anthologies and a Hallmark Christmas anthology and also in Famiulis’ Lessons from My Parents. Her essay, “The day we became Americans” and Journalism Portfolio, won 1st place in League of Utah Writers.

Christy Monson has worked as a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. She has written a children’s book series, Texting through Time, and has a self-help book, Becoming Free, A Woman’s Guide to Internal Strength, to be released fall of 2013. Her articles have been published in Gospel Ideals and LDS Witness.

Lynda Scott worked as a PI for 25 years. Since then she has written magazine articles and worked as a copy editor. She has an essay in Lessons from My Parents and four stories in the ‘Tales’ series. One of her unpublished novels won 1st place at the LUW Roundup.