douglas e. wolfert

Jeremy Barnard appears to be a normal kid. He's good looking, well-mannered, from an affluent family, has even earned valedictorian of his class. A perfect recipe for success. Then why is his life one, big, epic fail? Because every time he tries to speak, a complete and utter mess comes out. School life is hell, with Jeremy's Neanderthal peers mocking him at every turn. To make matters worse, his father affords him little relief at home. Francis cringes with disgust every time his son 'st..st..stutters', cursing the  powers above for burdening him with such a defective little boy.

Jeremy longs for a normal life. He'd give anything for the ability to socialize at a party, or tell his high school crush, Samantha, that she's beautiful... give everything to earn his father's respect and no longer be a laughing stock. But is Jeremy willing to give his soul?

Little does Jeremy know, his salvation lies in Calvin Ortiz, a hot-headed, maniacal thug who stumbles upon something extraordinary while hiking with his brother in the jungles of Costa Rica - a plant... a beautiful, vibrant green plant teeming with delicate, fuzzy flowers that look good enough to eat. And that's exactly what Calvin does. His knees buckle from the God-like metamorphosis that overtakes him. This is better than any drug he's ever tried, and Calvin's gold tooth glints in the sun as visions of dollar signs dance in his head. But this stuff's too good to sling on his local street corner. Nah, the black market won't do. The Wachuga, as he names it, deserves more respect than that. In a moment of stoned clarity, Calvin contacts the one person he knows with enough connections to turn his discovery into some serious bank.

And with that one phone call, The Wachuga Project is born, and Jeremy's life, for good or ill, will never be the same. Sometimes you have to be careful what you wish for...