Book excerpt: Normally, a twelve-mile strip of highway from the lake to town flows easily like the wind. But as traffic suddenly comes to a screeching halt, a married couple on a simple trip to town realizes a silver van from Alberta is holding up their journey. Overwhelmed by the fact that she is going nowhere fast, the wife decides to seek revenge, in the most creative way possible. Texas Johnny is not from Texas, he is not a singer, and he is definitely not famous. But he loves his beer and music with a deep and never-ending passion. A successful accountant for the Montreal mob until a police raid robbed him of his career, Texas Johnny is on a mission to spread the word of all things country and western, with a liberal intake of beer and humor of course. When a small group of people reunite to discuss a land partnership, they learn truths about themselves and forge new relationships while discovering that dreams are different for everyone, that they have all changed, and that nothing is like it used to be. Tales of Canadian Rurality presents a trio of short stories that provide a glimpse into rustic rural Canadian life and the authentic characters that populate its landscape.