The Distant Sound of Boiling Tea (2015)
$5.49 – $10.00
Ever notice how the whistle of a boiling tea kettle sounds like a scream?
When a female teacher seduces Ruth’s fifteen-year-old son, the aftermath consumes the entire town, and the stage is set for confrontation. But neither woman takes much notice of Ruth’s husband’s growing obsession of the teacher.
Full description at the bottom of the book page.
Paperback is signed by the author and includes a special bookmark.
Kindle edition also available.
Published by Silk Raven Press. 162 pages.
Description
Ever notice how the whistle of a boiling tea kettle sounds like a scream?
A screenplay without a film, The Distant Sound of Boiling Tea is the story of two emotionally adrift women and the preyed upon young boy between them.
Ruth St. Clair struggles with indifference as a wife and mother. Her husband Phil is a violent alcoholic, but instead of divorcing him, she pursues a seminarian who is nearing his ordination. Ruth feels herself going through the motions in raising her fifteen-year-old son Danny, yet she is surprised to discover that he has become a stranger.
Lisa Ann Kavanagh is truly lost. A high school teacher newly separated from her husband, a man twenty years her senior, Lisa Ann does what she thinks is expected of her in an attempt to find a foothold, but nothing seems right until she falls for one of her students: Danny St. Clair.
What transpires sends the two women hurtling towards each other. Neither makes much of Phil’s growing obsession for the teacher. As light is shown into the darkest corners, Danny’s victimhood is called into question, and Phil, who believes Lisa Ann chose his son over him, begins to plot his revenge through a haze of whisky fumes and stripper glitter.
Woodsie –
From Amazon.Com:
This is the first time I have read a screenplay. The first few pages seemed strange to read but then I easily got into a rhythm and could visualize the scenes. Although fiction, this story is happening, in real life, all over the country and it was eye-opening to read different perspectives.
Beth –
From Goodreads:
Four stars!
Kathie Cronk –
From Amazon:
Reading a screenplay can take a few pages before you get the feel for scene changes and characters. Once you get past that, this story will suck you right in. You can see the movie playing in your mind as you read. The inappropriate connection of student and teacher happens in our present world more often than I’m sure its reported. But once the news story goes away, we never know what can happen next. In this screenplay Michael-Patrick allows the reader a glimpse into the affect this has on their families, neighbors, school, friends and community after the indiscretion occurs. It questions who really is the victim and how can the two women on opposites sides of this case not really be very different from each other. This is a MUST read! And if you are someone who can make this into a movie you NEED to do it!
Dr. Rebecca Walker –
You are truly an impressive person…
Sarah –
From Goodreads:
I received this via a Goodreads Giveaway–Thank You. Would like to see this screenplay brought to life; a modern-day Hitchcock Hour. Dark and disturbing. The soundtrack selections are excellent.
Jean Benedict –
From Goodreads:
This was a strange and disturbing book. Probably would be a good play but not for me. Ruth is an indifferent mother and Danny her son becomes a victim sexually with his high school teacher. Danny’s father is an alcoholic. I won this book from first reads.
Kelly Stengel, MS, CRNP –
I read your book on vacation. I hated the mother!
You are a great writer!
Judge, 27th Annual Writer’s Digest Self-Published Book Awards. –
This is a screenplay published in book form. As such, it’s difficult to judge within the parameters of a work of book-length fiction. That said, the evocative title and striking cover are impressive and do a great job of conveying the disturbing nature of the work. Solid editing makes the publication clean and nearly error free.
The story centers on two damaged women. One is a middle-aged mom with a violent, alcoholic husband. The other is a younger, recently-divorced school teacher. Danny, the 15-year-old son of the first and student of the second, is caught in the sinister tangle of poor choices made by the adults in his life. Readers who enjoy a fast-paced story with dark characters will find much to like here.
The starring characters are extreme and a bit cliché. None are truly likable or relatable. While Danny’s situation creates some empathy, he comes across as a bit too naïve for a contemporary teenager. His romantic interactions with his teacher, especially, feel inauthentic. Still, the caricatures could potentially work well in screenplay mediums.