A xenophobic, alt-right wing advisor controls an unstable United States president. Through executive orders they utilize torture, censor the press, and construct monolithic border walls across Mexico and Canada. Only an unlikely hero can save the American people from complete totalitarianism. 2014 Thurber Prize for American Humor Semi-Finalist 2014 Reader's Favorite Silver Award Winner - Humor 2013 IndieFab Bronze Award Winner - Thriller and Suspense 2013 BOTYA - Foreword Book of the Year Finalist - Action and Adventure Chris Thompson thought his youthful dreams of being a secret agent had long ago been put to rest. He has a wife and child, a stable job with the US Customs Department, and--aside from a minor incident involving outsourcing American apple pie production to Bangladesh--no real worries.This all changes when Chris receives a phone call from the president of the United States, Oscar I. Wright, regarding a secret invasion of America from Canada and Mexico--an invasion somehow tied to the ''Big Mac Party,'' a cultish political party that worships the legacy of the notorious Communist-hunting Senator Joseph McCarthy. Soon, Chris is equipped with firearms, designer suits, government helicopters, and an array of gadgets worthy of any top-notch spy. His mission: infiltrate the mysterious ''Emergence'' program founded by McCarthy within the shadowy halls of the US government--and, ultimately, save democracy as we know it from the xenophobic demons of America's past. A unique, bubbling combination of Christopher Buckley-esque satire, political farce, and espionage comedy, Happy Utopia Day, Joe McCarthy reveals--through encounters with a hilarious cast of hallucinating politicians, Border Patrol commandants, crew-cut torturers, stuttering computer wizards, supposedly immortal pilots, and more--just how frightening a contemporary abuse of government power can be.

After Julie Delgado's restaurant closes, she temporarily takes over the catering position at the Rose Chalet, a full-service San Francisco wedding venue. She plans to dazzle the bride and groom so the Chalet's owner will keep her around, but fate has other plans for her when the bride's brother shows up for the first food tasting. Andrew Kyle is not only the Cuisine Channel's Edgy Eats host and chef, but his recent review of Julie's restaurant was the final nail in its coffin. Once he meets Julie at the Rose Chalet, he's certain she's playing it safe. And he wants nothing more than to be the one to break her guarded passions loose. But despite the undeniable sparks between Julie and Andrew-and the fact that he seems to believe in her when no one else does-can she afford to be taking risks with her cooking, with her career...or with her heart?