Blue Smoke Rises

Damone Bester was born and raised on Chicago’s Southside to blue-collar parents who were married 49 years and one older brother whose backyard scuffles taught Damone one lesson: never quit. He wasn’t just a student at Mendel; he lived and breathed “Blue Smoke,” the mantra of his track team brethren. Damone is an author, poet, aspiring screenwriter, and voiceover artist. He has a degree in Psychology from Illinois State University and has spent most of his profession in the Social Services sector. He currently lives in the Twin Cities area and enjoys fishing, bowling, basketball (watching, not playing), bean bags, and bragging about his nephew and nieces. He is the author of one previous novel, Mendel, which won the Black Excellence Award for Outstanding Fiction Work.