Iron Queen: Counterweights

In the rust‑belt husk of Willow Falls, three unlikely allies hold the line against a biker gang’s creeping empire and a bank’s ticking foreclosure clock.

Buddy Haskins—widowed short‑order legend—flips sunrise‑shaped pancakes in the diner his father built, praying the roof won’t cave before the mortgage does.
Lila Hart—former prom queen turned midnight waitress—wears a paper crown like battle armor, chasing the truth behind a decade‑old fire that scorched her future.
Cassie Miller—scrap‑yard hustler and guardian of her kid brother—trades copper wire and shotgun rock‑salt for a shot at escape.

When the Iron Serpents MC target the abandoned mill for a smuggling pipeline, the trio’s battered dreams collide with gasoline, secrets, and thin‑blue compromises. Roof funds morph into war chests, coffee refills into coded briefings, and the neon OPEN sign becomes a heartbeat they refuse to let die.

Gritty, heart‑punch honest, and laced with dark humor, Counterweights is rural‑noir realism where hope tastes like diner coffee—scalding, bitter, and absolutely necessary.

Why grab it on itch.io?

1. Fast, cinematic read — a novella built for one sitting or two commute sessions.

2. Rural‑noir realism — think Justified meets Breaking Bad over a plate of hash browns.

3. FREE companion Study Guide — discussion prompts, symbolism cheat‑sheet, and DIY creativity exercises. Perfect for book clubs, classrooms, or leveling‑up your own narrative craft.