The primary aim of the "Novel Excerpts" blog category is to showcase my creative writing, specifically from the novels I've written. Hopefully, these posts will provide a glimpse into my storytelling style, themes, and narrative skills. It's an opportunity to share my artistic expressions and the worlds I've created through my novels.
The Boaz Stenographer, written in 2018, is my fourth novel. I'll post a chapter a day over the next few weeks.
Book Blurb
Walt Shepherd, a 35 year veteran of the White House’s stenographic team, is fired by President Andrew Kane for refusing to lie.
Walt returns to his hometown of Boaz, Alabama and renews his relationship with Regina Gillan, his high school sweetheart, who he had ditched right before graduation to marry the daughter of a prominent local businessman. Regina has recently moved back to Boaz after forty years in Chicago working at the Tribune. She is now editor of the Sand Mountain Reporter, a local newspaper.
Walt and Regina’s relationship transforms into a once in life love at the same time they are being immersed in a growing local and national divide between Democrats and traditional Republicans, and extremist Republicans (known as Kanites) who are becoming more dogmatic about the revolution that began during President Kanes campaign.
Walt accepts two part-time jobs. One as a stenography instructor at Snead State Community College in Boaz, and one as an itinerant stenographer with Rains & Associates out of Birmingham.
Walt later learns the owner of Rains & Associates is also one of five men who created the Constitution Foundation and is involved in a sinister plot to destroy President Kane, but is using an unorthodox method to achieve its objective. The Foundation is doing everything it can to prevent President Kane from being reelected in 2020, and is scheming to initiate a civil war that will hopefully restore allegiance to the U.S. Constitution.
While Walt is writing a book, The Coming Civil War, he is, unwittingly, gathering key information for the Constitution Foundation.
Will Walt discover a connection between the Foundation and the deaths of three U.S. Congressmen in time to save his relationship with Regina, prevent President Kane from being reelected as the defacto head of a Christian theocracy, and the eruption of a civil war that could destroy the Nation ?
Chapter 25
Just as Chuck Todd finished his sentence, I heard my iPhone vibrating on the kitchen bar. I walked over and saw it was from Vann.
“Morning Vann.”
“Top of the morning to you, my most popular best friend.” Vann said like he was a TV newsman himself.
“Yea, I’m popular alright. In the worst sort of way.”
“You’re definitely right about your stock value with the local crowd. You were all the buzz at Grumpy’s Diner this morning. You and the President of course.”
“Please don’t even tell me. I know I’m the current whipping boy of the entire Kane Tribe.” I said feeling my headache reappearing after my huge dose of coffee.
“Don’t worry about it. The worst I heard was something about burning a cross in your front yard.”
“Thanks. I feel a lot better.”
“Pastor Warren was actually sympathetic.”
“Was I included in his sermon. Which service did you go to?”
“I didn’t hear it from a sermon. I heard it at breakfast. I thought you knew that Warren and I have breakfast together at Grumpy’s early every Sunday morning. Been doing that for years.”
“I guess I forgot. What did the blessed Tillman say?” I asked pouring me another cup of coffee.
“He said he admires the courage you had in holding to your position. He said that unfortunately you should have been wiser and less courageous. You should have known that the President is on the right side of history, and all opposition to the Kane revolution will be squashed. He compared it to the Israelites being on the right side of God and wiping out all their enemies in the land of Canaan after they fled Egypt.”
“I thought they wandered in the wilderness for forty years?” I said, certain of my Bible knowledge.
“All that slaughter came after that.”
“Is this why you called me? To give me a Bible lesson?” “No, but you could learn a whole lot by being faithful to First
Baptist Church of Christ.” Vann said lowering his voice to a whisper.
“Regina and I came a couple of Sunday’s ago. You know I’m not much into the church thing.” I said walking out onto the back porch.
“I’m talking about knowing your enemies. You’ve heard that phrase, ‘keep your friends close but your enemies closer’?”
“Yes, I think it was Michael Corleone in “The Godfather,” part II, I think.”
“I thought it was Sun Tzu or Machiavelli or Petrarch, who said that. Here’s my point. I bet you didn’t know that President Kane stayed with the Warren Tillman family last night after ya’ll’s little party at the
Bevill Center.”
“You got to be kidding.”
“Apparently, the President has one favorite pastor in each state. Warren told me he met Kane in Mobile in August 2015 when he held a big rally there. Warren made a big contribution and he’s been a pastor insider of sorts ever since.”
“What else did Kane tell Warren?”
“All I know is what Warren shared with me this morning at breakfast. Kane and Warren had a couple of hours of quiet time alone on his back porch. Kane spoke of the difficulty of persuading the old Republican guard to buy into his agenda. Said he knew the only way to ‘Make America Great Again’ was to replace the Rinos, you know that stands for ‘Republican in name only,’ with congressmen and senators who are fully committed to the Kane brand of politics.”
“I bet he convinced Warren that God had favored him or some shit like that.” I said, wondering why I continued this conversation.
“Warren did say the President asked for prayer, and even invited
Warren up to the White House in a couple of weeks.”
“That’s all we need in America. A Kane theocracy.”
“Listen, Sunday School’s about over, and I need to get to the auditorium. I’m sure Pastor Warren is fired up.”
“One question please. Why did you skip Sunday School?”
“Oh Walt, you know that I only come to church for social reasons. And, to keep up with the local gossip. It’s even better than
Grumpy’s.”
“Okay, I just wanted to make sure you hadn’t been sipping the
Kool-Aid.”
After hanging up with Vann, I slipped on my walking shoes and headed to the mailbox for the Birmingham News. Half-way there, Regina turned into my driveway and pulled alongside me. I kept walking and she backed her car keeping pace with me.
“Well, this is a big thank-you and loving greeting after I baby-sat you last night.” Regina said acting a little pissed.
“Oh hi. Can I help you Miss? You must be lost.”
“Wow, you’re mad because I didn’t stay all night, aren’t you?”
I walked over and leaned down into her car kissing her on the cheek. “Just playing my love. But, you are right, I did want you to stay all night, just like I do every night. I kind of like you, you know?”
“Let’s take this inside. Hope you’re hungry. I brought a pizza.
Grab your paper. And, I’ll go grab you a beer.”
“Not even funny.” I said walking on towards the mailbox.
The Pencil-Driven Life 