In All Hat, Stephen W. Long reconnects us with improbable hero Owen Youniacutt, a big-rig driver whose aspirations are simple: he wants to keep the greasy side down, watch his kids grow, love his wife, and – every now and again – paint a decent landscape. What he doesn’t want is to become anything like his blustering, philandering, and now deceased father. Be careful what you DON’T wish for.

When Owen is falsely, and ironically, accused of soliciting a prostitute, his wife bars him from their Southern California home. Unsure where to turn, he picks the worst option from a list of bad ideas. He flees to his roots, the Lightnin’ Y cattle ranch in South Dakota, home of old demons, a lost love, and a mountain of unforgiven hurts. Add to those woes a mother suffering a mysterious, possibly fatal disease, and Owen faces the prospect of losing every good thing in his life. But within the assorted wreckage is the chance for redemption, if only he can untangle past relationships and build new ones.

Perfectly set in America’s majestic plains, the disparate characters of All Hat will either succumb to the enormity of their dilemma or relish the future’s unlimited opportunities.