Galveston: A Novel
(a provisional title; currently I’m looking for an agent)
Background:
Rick Peters is the sixth generation of a wealthy and powerful Galveston family, but he has always rebelled against his family’s decadence and elitism. To his family’s chagrin, he joins the army as an enlisted man, and when he signs up for his fourth tour in Afghanistan, his distraught fiancé Rachel – also from a prominent family – dumps him. Soon after, he’s the sole survivor of an IED explosion, and he returns to Galveston suffering from severe PTSD. He decides that living a quiet, withdrawn life is the only way to deal with his condition. Following a lifelong interest in antiques instilled by his grandmother, who raised him, Rick opens “The Junk Shop” in The Strand, Galveston’s historical district and becomes close friends with Bub Ehrentraut, an old curmudgeon who owns the legendary military surplus store next door.
The story begins here:
When Bub dies in a late-night accident, the event triggers Rick’s PTSD and he goes berserk in the emergency room. The young doctor, Lydia Del Rio, recognizes Wick’s condition and calms him, but when she leaves him alone for a few minutes, he sneaks out. Later, he visits her office to apologize and they hit it off. On her desk he sees a picture of her as a child, sitting on an antique love seat at her grandmother’s home in Venezuela, and he invites her to his shop to show her an identical piece. There’s a spark, but Lydia is an ambitious professor and clinician and strongly protests she has no time for a relationship. Nevertheless, Rick is relentless in his pursuit, and when he gifts her the loveseat, her resistance crumbles.
Meanwhile, the man who buys Bub’s store, Aldrich Oz, is Rick’s polar opposite: a pretentious, self-promoting elitist. He and Rick form an instant, mutual dislike for each other. As time goes by, Rick feels there is something strange about Oz – the man is an ace marketer with deep pockets, and he creates a beautiful gallery out of Bub’s eccentric old space. But when Rick does a deep search about Oz on the internet, he hits a brick wall – the man seems to have no past. Rick is even more disturbed when Oz and Rachel become a couple. Lydia fears that Wick’s growing obsession with Oz is a result of his PTSD, but when a mysterious public health crisis occurs and Oz seems to have some connection, she’s forced to reconsider. What if Oz – who seems hellbent on causing Rick grief – really is evil?
The Reenactors
In first draft; it started out as a short story and evolved into a novel.
Karen and Bradley are a young couple who probably got married for the wrong reasons. He wanted a standard, conventional wife but got a sarcastic, troubled adventuress; she wanted security, but woke up next to a boring, unimaginative drudge. Nevertheless, Bradley is happy as long as life remains routine, and Karen wants to make the marriage work. They each pursue their separate hobbies: Karen is determined to master Blackjack, playing online simulations and learning the intricacies of card-counting, while Bradley reads endless accounts of the American civil war.
Problems arise when Karen gets Bradley off the couch and engaged in the world of civil war reenactments, and she moves from computer simulations to the real world of casino gambling. Both experience exhilaration and success beyond anything they expected: Bradley comes under the influence of a charismatic man, an attorney, who yearns for a past that never was, and Karen hits it big at the casino – so big she decides to turn professional.
Bradley is horrified, and under the tutelage of his new mentor, he does something drastic, but legal, to bring Karen into line. The problem is, Karen is tough, devious and determined, and she doesn’t stand for it.
And a few short stories…
And a few short stories…
Social Engineering
(Short story; rejected 2-3 times – not sure why, unless it’s boring)
Mike is a respected senior engineer in a major avionics firm, but when he’s laid off in a company downsizing, his reaction is not what you’d expect. We find out why, and how the mysterious Mr. Ho fits into the picture, in this tale of cynical white collar crime. As Mike’s dad always told him, it’s better to be lucky than smart.
Moussaka
(My first venture into the true horror genre. And yes, it gets a bit grisly.)
Liana works as a server in a bakery-cafeteria in Novi Sad, Serbia. Forced to support her family, she’s put her dream of a university education on permanent hold. One regular customer, an elderly man who has impressed the owner, delights in causing Liana grief and always gives her the evil eye. He not only complains loudly that she gives him too-small portions but also claims – incorrectly – that she frequently short-changes him. One night, when the staff has gone home and she’s alone in the kitchen cleaning up, he barges in demanding dinner. His idea of being served, though, turns out to be outright abuse, and Liana has finally had enough.
This time, though, she’s the one who goes too far.