While the first Mount Saint Helens disaster was the eruption on May 18, 1980, the second part of the disaster occurred in the weeks and months that followed. That was when ash clouds from Mount Saint Helens blocked out the sun, leaving us literally in the dark for twenty straight hours.

As the United States was mesmerized by the eruption of Mount Saint Helens, the communities east of the Cascade Range were unprepared for the capricious ash fall that buried some towns in six inches of ash while barely touching others. In the wake of Mount Saint Helens, normal activity and commerce was impossible as the volcanic grime became airborne again with every breeze and each passing automobile.

In Grey Pine, Phillip stark is a young innovative science teacher who is fascinated by Mount Saint Helens and the ash fall, but the resulting havoc inexorably alters his relationships with family and friends. Though Phillip's mental state declines to the point that he acts on suicidal and homicidal thoughts, Grey Pine is the story of his attempts to "dig out" of a mental morass unexpectedly aggravated by the eruption of Mount Saint Helens. This makes for a serious read, but I believe you'll find this gritty story to be balanced with some humor and optimism.

Check out some free excerpts of Grey Pine and take the opportunity to experience the "second" disaster of Mount Saint Helens.