In the twilight of the twenty-first century, Alton B. Tapscott battles hurricanes, his children, the trappings of polite society, organized religion, and the inescapable control of technology - his only weapons being his cat, a pair of prescription arthritic socks, and his new WiFi-enabled hearing aide. Getting old feels inevitable, but time runs out quickly on a life well-lived, and for a lucky few before they're back in diapers. "Mix David Sedaris with John Jeremiah Sullivan and add a dash of the antidote to the sanctimony and disingenuousness of J.D. Vance, and you have O'Banion. His story is intelligent, hilarious, perceptive, and unique. He writes about the South and its oddities with the delicious, heartfelt affection of an insider. The pleasure of reading his prose fulfills a craving I didn't know I'd been missing."-Victoria Patterson, author of Drift . "It seems that Alton Tapscott, the main character of Chinese New Year, will take to retirement as kindly as a sidewinder in a petting zoo. Joining the tradition of Harry Crews, Casey O'Banion is one of those writers who burns down the house in order to save it. Expect trouble, mayhem, and hilarity, though not necessarily in that order." -Jim Krusoe, The Sleep Garden "O'Banion's book is fun, fresh, and smart as a whip. Alton Tapscott's biting, cantankerous wit offers readers an engaging, often hilarious glimpse into less than graceful aging, fractious family dynamics, and the powerful bonds between an elderly man and his cat. This is a voice worth paying attention to, and this is a novel worth every moment of your time and attention."-Matthew Blasi, Ph.D., author of Sweet Muffin Ranch. "C.E. O'Banion blends rollicking action, sharp satire, and tender humanity in unexpected ways. This is a novel like no other."-Ana Maria Spagna, author of Pushed: Miners , a Merchant, and (Maybe) a Massacre. C.E. O'Banion is a father of two and a writer based out of Baton Rouge, LA. He writes about his generation, his family, his hometown, and chain Mexican restaurants. His short stories and essays have previously appeared online and in print in The Southern Review, The Deal Mule, Mouthing Off Magazine, Whalebone Magainze, Short Beasts, and others, while some humorous essays and nonfiction can be found in The National Enquirer and other local newspapers. He is also an editor of Two Hawks Quarterly out of Antioch University (Los Angeles). Chinese New Year is his debut novel, and he has also completed a collection of short stories about his youth and upbringing in East Texas. He plans to continue writing fiction and nonfiction for local papers and journals, as well as re-entering the education field. His short nonfiction was nominated for a Pushcart Prize in 2022.C.E. graduated from Louisiana State University with a Bachelor's in English then law school at LSU. After some years, he attended and completed an MFA degree in creative writing from the UCLA Writing Workshop and Antioch University Los Angeles' MFA program. He's worked as an attorney, teacher, lobbyist, and nursing home administrator. C.E. and his wife, Melissa, have been married for seven years and have two children: Flannery (4) and Henry (2). They have a dog, Joan of Bark, and a cat, EZ Mac, and they enjoy their time in Baton Rouge.