On Time

There aren't any square-jawed heroes among the no-nonsense townsfolk of Mayhew, Illinois. Their world rests on a blunt human foundation of blue collars, bare knuckles, and the hands-on labor of steam railroading. They keep their joys and hurts to themselves, living lives which are outwardly simple and dignified. Yet the gritty streets of their hand-me-down immigrant burg provide a backdrop for dreams which are fragile, dear, and guarded.

On Time takes place in the working community of Mayhew, Illinois, with father, Joe and son, Jim, standing at its core. Set at odds over their differing philosophies of both work and life, they are fatally bound by a shared loss of older son-brother, Mike. Sarah fills the roles of wife and mother, keeper of the family flame, home front glue, and rudder; a woman tasked with holding her family together, yet, its men, apart. A supporting cast include Lorraine, Mike's young widow, eligible, yet off-limits and Ulees, the mysterious drifter, mentor and confidant to Jim. DeLynne rounds things out, as the new freight yard office manager and company hatchet man, sent to do harm.

Paul Kozerski was born and raised in the Chicago suburb of Cicero, during the twilight of steam railroading. His neighborhood was situated between the old Illinois Central and Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy freight yards, and many of the townsfolk among whom he grew up were employed as trainmen or factory workers at the Electro-Motive diesel locomotive shops in nearby LaGrange. These experiences provide the backdrop to On Time, his second novel. He is also the author of Skylock, a science-adventure story