the big T
novel
Tommy Goodspeed is an aptly named, all-American boy who talks fast and lives faster. Jude Harris is the introverted new kid who tells us their story.
the big T is a novel by Clancy Steadwell that traces their friendship from middle school to high school, through college, young adulthood, and beyond as they navigate issues of masculinity, drug use, addiction, privilege and male platonic love.
dedication
for my friend
table of contents
part 1: middle school
chapter 1: the end
in which Tommy Goodspeed and Jude Harris first meet
chapter 2: read all three
in which Tommy Goodspeed and Jude Harris bond over a mutual love of reading
chapter 3: age of thumb sucking
in which Tommy uncovers Jude’s thumb-sucking and becomes addicted to a video game
chapter 4: golf ball creek
in which Jude and Tommy hunt for golf balls and Tommy steals from a convenience store
chapter 5: pie, pizza, plow, faceplant
in which Jude accompanies the Goodspeeds on a family ski trip
chapter 6: asteroid
in which Tommy convinces Jude to ride a roller-coaster
chapter 7: harris meet goodspeed
in which Tommy and Jude’s parents have dinner together
chapter 8: gassed
in which Tommy’s father steals some gas on the way to the lake house
chapter 9: the big ballyhoo
in which a family Fourth of July gathering becomes a referendum on Tommy’s future
chapter 10: lightning strike
in which a freak accident permanently alters Tommy’s mother
part 2: high school
chapter 11: come eat some ham
in which Tommy and Jude’s friend group expands to include potential romance
chapter 12: the former stripper
in which Jude and Emma are on a committee to hire the new school principal
chapter 13: expert in cart retrieval
in which Tommy and Emma get together and Jude gets a job at The Big T Grocery
chapter 14: makeover
in which Tommy and Emma fight and Jude gets a new haircut and clothes
chapter 15: a hideous game
in which Tommy and Jude play in their varsity high school soccer game
chapter 16: the otter and the ostrich
in which Tommy and Jude go to prom and have a night of firsts
chapter 17: off the road
in which Tommy’s aunt passes away
chapter 18: punch catcher
in which Tommy protects Jude at senior prom and the time comes to leave home
part 3: college
chapter 19: the face in the tree
in which Tommy and Jude run together and smoke marijuana for the first time
chapter 20: zero
in which Tommy and Emma visit Jude at college and Tommy gets too drunk
chapter 21: the legacy of parade day
in which Jude visits Tommy at college and they incite the rage of a fraternity
chapter 22: the dead malls
in which a local band plays at the high school and Tommy and Emma break up
chapter 23: birthday boy
in which Jude accompanies the Goodspeeds on vacation and celebrates his birthday
chapter 24: dropout
in which Tommy has a breakdown at school and Jude brings him home
part 4: young adulthood
chapter 25: shrinked
in which Jude begins training to be a manager at The Big T Grocery
chapter 26: paralyzed
in which Jude suffers a facial condition and Tommy visits him at home
chapter 27: you’ll sometimes walk alone
in which Tommy begins drinking again at a German soccer bar
chapter 28: flat tire
in which Tommy gets too drunk at Emma’s parents house and Jude helps him out
chapter 29: escape from the small pond
in which Jude breaks up with his girlfriend
chapter 30: paris, jaylen, and the mayor
in which Tommy takes Jude to a strip club
chapter 31: dog daze
in which Tommy’s dog passes away
chapter 32: a final run [paid only]
in which Tommy’s mother has a terrible accident
chapter 33: the avocado [paid only]
in which tragedy strikes the Goodspeeds and Jude blames himself
part 5: beyond
chapter 34: deep and wide [paid only]
in which Jude returns home and reconnects with Emma
chapter 35: the flight of humanity [paid only]
in which Jude runs a marathon
about the author
Clancy Steadwell is the pseudonym of an anonymous-ish author, writing short stories, reviews of Substack fiction, and retrospectives on the process. This is their first novel.
disclaimer
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
acknowledgements
My many thanks to PNP’s biggest fans and champions, who have made writing on here such a joy and pleasure:
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Special thanks to and and for showing me how successful and cool novels on Substack can be.
Also thanks to
for teaching me all I needed to know about Substack settings to make this happen the way it did.Thanks
, for helping create a great product for hosting this novel and for being an advocate for fiction on Substack.And to
, for being my first ever paid subscriber.copyright 2024, PNP and Clancy Steadwell
This is fantastic, Clancy. I can’t wait to dive in. Thank you for making this available all at once. I’m sure it’ll be superb, like everything you write. And thank you for the shout-out!
How amazing is this, Clancy?! I can’t wait to dive in and love that you’re pushing the concept of online fiction in new directions.