Old Tricks, New Treats (Bag of Tricks, book 3)

OLD TRICKS, NEW TREATS is book three of the BAG OF TRICKS trilogy: a compilation of short stories about San Francisco punks in the early 80's.
Follow the adventures of The Shits, Val, Sophie, Babs, Carla, Red, Marco, Bags and all the rest of the rag-tag gang of street punks that populate these stories. Ride with them as they hit new highs and lows, make mostly bad and occasionally good choices, and aim for uncharted lives in the end.
For those of you who never stepped foot inside the punk rock world of the late 1970's to early 1980's, this collection of short stories might hold some surprises for you. Sure, there were off-the-beaten path experiences and great music and all sorts of crazy shenanigans, but there was a darker side to that way of life too. A lot of the punk rockers I knew were estranged from their families of origin, often lived on the streets, and turned to heavy drinking and drugging along with all the other trappings of being a punk rocker.
For those of you who did live that life, please be aware that some of the stories you read here may be disturbing in their stark descriptions of drug use. I wrote it like I remembered it and didn't pull any punches. So if you think you might be triggered by any of what this collection of stories offers, please partner up with a reading buddy, or make sure you have someone lined up as support you can turn to as needed.
It's my intent to bring this part of my history- and that of many others- to light; not to shock or harm anyone in any way. My cohorts from the time and I have kept in touch over the years, and eventually some of the story-swapping we shared in our reminiscences led to my penning these tales. In our conversations, we all agreed that there is a need for these stories to be told. Hopefully you enjoy reading them as much as I did writing them. Please stay safe in all ways while doing so.

Ruby grew up in the foothills of Northern CA and the West Texas flatlands, riding horses in the back woods near Folsom Prison, and singing with family on the back porch. She attended SDSU at fifteen- studying electrical engineering and drama- then stumbled into life on the streets of San Francisco, enchanted by all the grime and glitz, the drugs and wild nights, even the discordance and insanity of life as a punk in those early days. Moving on, Ruby co-founded the North Coast California Earth First! in Arcata, CA while attending Humboldt State, and fished across Alaskan waters. Eventually, she moved to Seattle, WA where she opened a series of restaurants, then transitioned from restaurateur to singer/songwriter when she started the roots-rockabilly band Ruby Dee and the Snakehandlers in 2002. Thrice Grammy-considered, they tour the world and produce award-winning records. In 2023, Ruby wrote Bag of Tricks after reconnecting with old punk friends and reminiscing about those lost years. Most of what she wrote came from events that really occurred, though Ruby took liberties and changed some details because she could.