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 33
Vann and I, and Regina and I separately, had been talking about my book-writing idea for several weeks. Regina had said it was a miracle both Vann and I had independently dreamed of a somewhat
similar book for years, even before either of our retirements. I emphasized to her that my departure from the White House wasn’t exactly a retirement. “Even more of a miracle she had said.” Of course, she didn’t believe in miracles, but in ten minutes Vann was scheduled to be here for our first meeting to brainstorm whether we mutually agreed that one, jointly-authored book, would fulfill our dreams.
“Book signings.” Vann said as he walked in from the back porch without knocking.”
“If the door is unlocked just come on in.” I said, standing up from my lazy boy. “What are you talking about?”
“Before we go any further, the first thing we need to do is visualize where we dream of having a book signing.” Vann said walking towards the bar with an old tattered notebook in his hand.
“So, you’re thinking if we have a glorious destination in mind that our motivation will be sufficiently replenished for us to properly complete our project?”
“Something like that. So, tell me yours.”
“Well, maybe Northshire Bookstore, either store, the original Northshire, in Manchester, Vermont, or the recent one they opened in Saratota Springs, New York.” I said.
“No doubt my dream choice will be Politics and Prose in your old hometown. You know I was there last June for John Grisham’s, “Camino Island,” book-signing.” Walt said.
“You must have forgotten about me, you didn’t even call.”
“Check your schedule, you were out of town, G7 Summit in
Taormina, Italy, or it might have been your little trip to the Vatican in
Rome and on to Saudi Arabia.”
“That was all part of the same trip, but I thought that was earlier.”
“Might have been, Deb had me pretty busy. I might have forgotten to call you.”
“Whatever. Enough of book-signings and my world travels. Let’s focus.” I said, pouring us both a cup of coffee and settling across the bar from Vann.
“I know we’ve discussed each of our motivations for writing a book, yours is to prepare and send a message to voters that President Kane must not be re-elected in 2020, and mine is mainly, to remind all Americans of our Presidential history and its importance to each of our futures.” Vann said.
“No doubt our goals are hand and glove.”
“Yes and no. I think you will be more interested in the individual trees, and for me, my focus is more the forest itself.”
“Enough abstraction. I hear what you’re saying. My model reader will be someone who voted for Kane in 2016, but whose support has waned.”
“Mine will be those in the Kane Tribe, the radical thirty-three percent, those who will likely support Kane no matter what he says or does.”
“Vann, you’re not making any sense. Don’t you suspect that group won’t even read our book?” I said.
“That’s where you come in, you’re the one who has a storage unit full of Presidential transcripts, from meetings five former presidents held around the world.”
“How does that get into the psyche of folks like Frankie Olinger, assuming he can read.” I said, surprising myself that I felt a little sorry for him, sitting in the Marshall County Jail.
“I haven’t totally figured that out, but I’m convinced our book has to reach this powerful group. Maybe, we can communicate our book to them in other ways, ways they don’t have to read it. Like TV and radio interviews, and a modified town-square idea I’m working on.” “Let’s move on.” I said.
“I agree. Let me ask you a simple question. Why do you think it is important to America, and maybe the world, for President Kane not to be re-elected in 2020? I want to hear you answer this question, even though I think I know what you are going to say.”
“Two broad reasons. One, he is unfit to be President simply from a decorum viewpoint. Even if he were the most competent President we have ever had, he is an embarrassment. I’m glad I don’t have children or teenagers. What on earth is President Kane teaching America’s youth? That it’s okay to be an arrogant, pompous bastard, revealing your wicked heart? Second, he isn’t competent. His narcissism controls his actions. He is a bully and bullies must have their way. He has no knowledge and appreciation of our history. Incompetence in any field is dangerous, but an incompetent President, especially one who is, at best, a selfish child, can, and I believe will, get America into a fight it cannot win, or, at a minimum, cause us either thousands of lives or billions of dollars to extricate us from the mistake.” I said, returning for more coffee.
“I agree, his ability to assimilate relevant material and deduce the best direction to pursue, is seriously compromised by his low intelligence and narcissistic disorder.”
“I’ve never in my life seen anyone who displays such a lack of empathy for other people, and such an insatiable hunger for admiration.” I said, cutting a slice of pound cake DeeDee had dropped off yesterday afternoon.
“Yes, I’ll take a slice of that. If all this weren’t enough, Kane’s dishonesty is likely the chief poison America must deal with. It seems there is no way Kane is going to avoid the Russian investigation.”
“I have a feeling, just a feeling, that Kane’s Russian involvement is on-going. You probably don’t know this, but some kid found a Red Star, as in a Russian Red Star, at the Kip Brewer murder scene. Regina shared that Delton, her crime reporter, had picked this up in his investigation.”
Vann’s eyes opened wide, “that’s either HUUUGGEE,” imitating the President, “or it’s irrelevant.”
“Now, I’m wondering why on earth I’ve agreed to co-author a book with such a retard.” I said taking a bite of my cake.
“I’m going to leave on that insult. Seriously, Deb made me promise to be back in an hour. You know the yard has to be mowed twice a week now with all the rain we’ve been having.” Vann said closing his notebook.
“I need to go too, my weekly trip to Walmart, you know. I’m also going to Paradise Storage and start going through some of my transcripts. You start formulating your outline.”
“I will. Same time next week, here?” Vann asked.
“Yes, assuming I don’t have a deposition with Rains.”
The Pencil Driven Life 