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 37
I had just made mine and Regina’s reservations with the Hilton Garden Inn in Tifton when Vann walked in. As usual, without knocking. It was Monday morning. Last week we had decided to change our routine from a Saturday session to a Monday session. I was simply too tempted on Saturday mornings to be with Regina, especially if she had spent the night.
“Pastor Warren sends his greetings.” Walt said, sitting his briefcase down on the bar before walking over to the coffee pot.
“You two are getting pretty tight, aren’t you?”
“Nothing new. Been this way since Warren was in high school and found out I wasn’t his typical Christian teacher. I think he always appreciated my contrarian attitude.”
“Glad you like him. He’s too much of a Christian opportunist for me.” I said.
“If you only knew what he’s up to.”
“Okay, are you going to tell me or just bring this up and drop it?”
“Warren and I had breakfast early this morning. Normally, we meet on Sunday mornings, but he called yesterday to reschedule. He asked me to assist him in a project.”
“Oh lord. This can’t be good.” I said, filling the dishwasher dispenser with detergent.
“I should have known this but him and Justin Adams hold the two top positions in Kane Tribe.”
“Clarify for me, what exactly is Kane Tribe?”
“I thought we had talked about this. Anyway, it began as a grassroots organization, totally disjointed, when President Kane’s campaign started showing a little promise. After he was elected, Kane’s son, Andrew, Jr., was enlisted by the President to create a formal structure. You recall Frankie mentioning a meeting he attended, along with Warren and Justin, during the Inauguration weekend.” Vann said.
“What’s formal about it?”
“It now has fifty chapters, one for each state, and each chapter has county delegates. Each chapter obviously has leaders. That’s what I meant when I said Warren and Justin were the leaders. Warren is president of religion and Justin is president of politics.”
“So, each chapter is focused on religion and politics?” I asked.
“Yep. What else would they be interested in?”
“Deceiving the American people come to mind.”
“Old boy, that’s why Warren sends his greetings. He knows you and I are best friends. After he enlisted my help, he said he hoped I could persuade you to attend a local meeting and maybe join the Tribe at some point.” Walt said.
“Only if I could replace Justin and head up the politics division.”
“I’ll pass that along.”
“So, what is Warren wanting you to do?” I asked.
“Two things. Help him with communications and be a sounding board.”
“Communications with who?”
“Just as you would expect, Kane Tribe has an agenda. On the religion side, Warren is only one of fifty pastors who President Kane has personally selected to mentor him. One from every state. I know you recall that Kane stayed with Pastor Warren the night of Justin’s campaign kick-off.”
“How could I forget.” I said.
“The religion division of Kane Tribe has one main objective between now and the 2020 election. To motivate citizens in each state to support the pre-selected Republican candidates.”
“What do you mean by pre-selected?”
“Here’s the big picture. Kane Tribe wants to win re-election, but that’s not all. It wants to posture and empower the states for a constitutional convention.”
“Oh, so it can amend the constitution?”
“Absolutely. Warren wouldn’t say what type amendments the convention would propose. He said that is premature. He did say that Kane Tribe, obviously a mouth-piece for Kane himself, sees this objective as wholly achievable by 2020. Of course, the first goal is to win big in the mid-terms.”
“Win big means have Kane type Republicans elected to Congress, both state and federal?” I asked.
“Yes. Did you know that currently there are 33 Republican governors and only 18 states where Democrats control at least one house of congress?”
“I know Alabama has a Republican governor and both houses of congress are Republican controlled. What are the numbers? How is the control divided in our state?”
“Out of 35 Alabama Senators, there’s only 8 Democrats, and out of 105 Alabama House of Representatives, there are only 33 Democrats.”
“I think I recall that it takes two-thirds of the legislators to vote for a Constitutional Convention.” I said. “Let’s see.” I grabbed a pencil and sheet of paper and started figuring. “It will take 33 State legislatures to call for the Convention, and 38 to ratify the amendments it proposes. In Alabama, it will take 70 Representatives and 24 Senators. Let’s see, there are already 72 Republican Representatives and 27 Republican Senators. So, Alabama already has enough to both call for a Convention, and to ratify its proposed Amendments.” I said.
“Yes, assuming all Republicans voted for it. And, that’s the rub. As you know, not all Republicans are in Kane’s camp. Not yet. But, this is the purpose of Kane Tribe, especially the state chapters. Warren and the other 49 directors of the Religion Division, are coordinating a plan to minister to all the Republican representatives and senators in every state, including all the new candidates.”
“I figure that Justin and his 49 Politics Division colleagues have a plan to locate, educate, and present candidates that bleed Kane blood?” I asked.
“Walt, you are a fast learner. The bottom line for Warren is, as he says, ‘Vann, it’s simple really. All I must do is share the gospel. The Holy Spirit will do the rest.’ I assume you have heard that Warren fully believes that President Kane is God’s man, that God himself has chosen Kane to lead American back to its Christian roots.”
“Vann, do me a favor. Call Pastor Warren and tell him I surrender, that I am willing to do all I can to support his efforts.” I said with my best sarcasm, but also with my stomach beginning to feel sick and nauseous.
“I’ll let him know Wednesday night at prayer meeting. Now, we must focus on our book. “Last week, our homework was to brainstorm a title for our magnum opus. What say you?” Vann said, removing his notepad from his briefcase.
For the next two hours I let Vann do most of the talking. I couldn’t concentrate. The only thing I learned was that next week, during our book session, we would get right to work after Vann arrived.
We would not discuss anything beforehand.
After Vann left, I sat back down at the bar and noticed he had left his notes. It contained twelve suggested titles for our book. One was circled. The Coming Civil War. I hadn’t even heard Vann suggest it out loud. Maybe he hadn’t. Maybe he had simply written it down. Either way, I found it a satisfying name. It exactly encapsulated my feelings for what lay ahead.
The Pencil Driven Life 