Much to no one’s surprise, I haven’t posted in a while. Not because I haven’t been writing, rather, because I have been writing. A novel or a story, at least. I would like to call it a book, but it hasn’t gone to print and my options appear limited. Amazon has a do-it-yourself process for putting it out to the world, at least in electronic format. This by-passes the traditional route of spending years being rejected by traditional book publishers and as someone who feels the pressure of my biological clock winding down, it probably is my best option. At my age, I am not looking to embark on a writing career; I’m simply in hopes of entertaining some people. Some I know, but most I don’t. It’s a big world out there.
So … here it is, in an embryonic state, awaiting my learning how to jump through the technological hoops of digital online publishing. And no, I’m not dumping the whole book here, only the provisional cover and flap copy today. Unfortunately, paperbacks and digital novels don’t have a “dust cover” so the “flap copy” is virtual, or at least, imaginary.
A Lie Never Dies
Oh what a tangled web we weave,
When first we practice to deceive, - Sir Walter Scott
Choice and Chance; two threads in the tapestry of a life tangled in a web of lies and woven into a tale of temporary insanity, rage and revenge, accidental death, murder, guilt, deceit, and love, both kinds: lost and found. All are threads coloring this tale of tragedy set in the original birthplace of the Portuguese empire, Coimbra, Portugal.
At its core, it is a story about how a single lie gives birth to a labyrinth of deception, how hypocrisy begets vengefulness, and retaliation leads to tragedy and treachery. Most importantly, it is a tale of how chance often makes the important choices for us.
A disillusioned American comes to Portugal to teach English as a second language, to escape a toxic American culture and attempt to rekindle the spark in a marriage that has sailed too close to the edge of the map. But his wife doesn’t love the voyage and bails out for a long visit back to the US, leaving their marriage on the brink of an unseen storm.
Drew Martin is a man facing a choice, with one foot in the old world, a world with much history and rich culture to explore, while the other leg is being pulled back into the status quo of a chaotic consumer culture, along with his conflicted feelings about his marriage. But the wheel of fortune is spinning and fate, random chance, will make the next choice for him in this lottery we call life.
Walking home through the ancient Portuguese city of Coimbra, during a heat wave, Drew just wants a cold beer and a quiet place to contemplate his future. But the bar he chooses is the wrong place at the wrong time. And when a beautiful woman arrives, things go unbelievably amiss, and an ugly truth is born of a lie that never dies.
If you have read this far, thank you. Hopefully, I can amuse you further. If you’re curious about ex-patriot or immigrant experiences, Portugal in general, or just mindless entertainment: I have something to offer. This is a work of literary fiction of the noir flavor, according to the categories defined by Amazon’s Kindle enterprise.
What’s it about? It’s a reflection on how much of our lives are beyond our control, random collisions in time and space to remind us why the gods laugh when we make plans.
Imagine, if you can, finding yourself abroad in Europe, in a dark little café, in a narrow passageway (called becos here in Portugal), on a hot summer afternoon where you have come for some cool refreshment and respite from the tourist hordes. And before you can even finish your beverage, you find yourself in a situation …
Someone lies dead on the tavern floor, blood oozing slowly from a small caliber bullet wound in the center of their forehead. The gun that fired the fatal shot is in your hand and you find yourself left alone, a stranger in a foreign land, trying to find words in a language you have not yet learned to speak. And all you wanted, was a cold drink on a hot day.
More to come …
I love it so far and want to read more!
So far, you got me hooked. Looking forward to this.