Rob Hiaasen

Love Punch & Other Collected Columns

Rob Hiaasen

Like the man himself, the columns in this book are often big-hearted, whimsical and self-deprecating. They’re keenly-observed slices of everyday life—to my mind the very best gift a general columnist can give his or her readers.
Many, like the pieces that chronicle Rob’s love for dogs, his iffy luck with cars and his wariness of modern technology, will make you laugh out loud. Some, like the touching “What I Did On Spring Vacation,” about visiting the grave of a long-dead childhood friend and pulling weeds from the simple marker, might even make you misty-eyed.
More than anything, what these columns represent is a fervid appreciation for life—and of the common humanity in all of us. Whether kindly mentoring young reporters as an editor at the Capital Gazette, wandering the bustling streets of Annapolis and his beloved Eastport neighborhood looking for column ideas, or teaching the next generation of journalists as an adjunct professor at the University of Maryland, Rob constantly strove to connect with others and learn what makes them tick.
He does that again throughout this delightful collection, where his love of story-telling shines through on every page. —Kevin Cowherd, Friend & colleague of Rob Hiaasen

Float Plan

Rob Hiaasen

When life throws you overboard, learn to float.
Will Larkin teaches algebra and has been married 2.92 years (he never rounds off). He has no children, two friends and one dog. His life is perfectly routine until he loses his wife, job, dog, boat and even his freedom all in one spectacularly hard year.
He also didn’t plan on falling in love with vet tech named Parker Cool.
Float Plan is a contemporary novel featuring a chainsaw attack on a gazebo, a basset hound named Dean and a life-saving mozzarella stick. At its quirky, serious heart, the story is about what happens to a young man who steers himself toward love, forgiveness and happiness. Or close enough.
Float Plan is also a love letter to Annapolis and Baltimore – and to fathers and mothers, old friends, dogs, boats and second chances.