storytelling

At one point I thought I wouldn't finish this novel, because things about the story irritated me. But in the end I found that the characters were interesting enough to keep me coming back.

Schaffer's characters are an odd lot. I usually like odd, and I have no objection to a good dose of humor in my suspense/crime novels. In this case I'm not sure that the oddness always works. The main character is Gordon Seegerman, a public defender and a rather sad sack. Gordon is happy to be relegated to defend misdemeanor types because that is easy to do and doesn't demand too much of his energy or time. His real love is as the lead singer of a Barry Manilow cover band, Barry X and the Mandys.

Have I lost you? I wouldn't be surprised. I think I was able to finally accept this premise and move ahead because Gordon is actually likeable, and he's got some tough stuff to deal with. He's also a better guy than he intends to be, and that's compelling.

There's a complex set of mysteries here that start when a reformed alcoholic who works as an accountant for a big-name charitable organization is arrested for flashing a young girl. That misdemeanor then spirals out of control into something very different, and bodies begin to appear. Gordon gets pulled out of his sedate approach to his career and sucked into the big time.

The best I can say about this is that it makes me interested in reading more of Schaffer. I'm glad I stuck it out with Gordon, but my opinion about Barry Manilow hasn't changed, not one iota.

Oh and by the way: great cover art.

Posted by at 7:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

On Saturday I wrote 1,100 words. That was a good day. Then I spent lots of money on fabric, so you know: demerits for that.

On Sunday we had the usual suspects over for dinner to celebrate my daughter's birthday. Yes, that was three weeks ago. So we're disorganized. More demerits. However, the food turned out great and eleven people had a grand time. By this point I'm hoping you'll notice that the word count for this day was, um, nothing like yesterday's. In fact, it was nothing.

However. Today I ignored the mess in the kitchen, the dining room and on the deck. I ignored the fact that my desk is piled high with papers and somewhere in that mess are a few bills I have misplaced. I ignored everything and I went to Starbucks and wrote 1,300 words. And I spent no money on fabric today. I did, however, spend money on bedding plants, though nothing outrageous. So today was all plus points, unless you count the mess in the kitchen. Which I do not. Also, I spent four hours at Starbucks writing and I did not cave in and order a Chantico, which is evil in a cup.

The total for this three day weekend: 2,400 words (which is just over ten manuscript pages, courier new, 12 point, double spaced), a handful of demerits, and a messy kitchen that still refuses to straighten itself out.

Now I'm going to eat leftovers and go watch television until I can ignore the kitchen no longer.

Posted by at 6:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)