Winning the 'Lottery'

Lottery


"My name is Perry L. Crandall and I am not retarded."

So begins this debut novel I've just read that's best described as wonderfully quirky. It's called Lottery by Patricia Wood and it unfurls in a town by the sea in Washington State with a quick jaunt on vacation to Hawaii with his friend Keith and, oh, his grandmother's ashes.

As the title suggests, the plot revolves around the protagonist--who's slow but innocently smart--winning twelve million dollars in the state lottery. Of course, once the press reports the winner, out of the woodwork come a flood of letters pleading for help. There's also his avaricious family to contend with, including two brothers, their grasping wives and a mother who's abandoned him. Brought up by his hardy grandmother who's knowledgeable in seafaring and has home-schooled Perry, he's able to hold down a job at Holstead's and is remarkably skilled at coming up with new business ideas which flourish, much to the delight of his boss, Gary.

When his Grandmother dies, the fun begins pre his winning the Lottery when his family--whom he refers to as his brother-cousins--swoop down and make him sign the house she's left to Perry over to them. Matters escalate after the Lottery win, though Perry has Keith and his boss looking out for him as best they can.

An enjoyable, compelling first novel and a wonderful stocking filler.

And here's a Christmas/Holiday bonus--an interview with the author.

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DMN: You decided to make Perry, a young man with learning disabilities, your protagonist which was intriguing. What inspired you to do this?

PW: I have taught for many years and my PhD work was in disability and diversity and my brother in law had severe Down syndrome. I saw how people who are perceived as different are marginalized by our society. I purposely didn’t label Perry- yes he has cognitive challenges- yes he is slow and yes there are many things he doesn’t understand. He sees the world differently and I felt that would make an interesting and challenging character. Both one who was limited in terms of understanding yet astute in his observations.


DMN: His personality is well developed as the book advances and we do care very much about him, especially when we see how callous his family behave. Have you had experience working with people with learning disabilities or did you base the character primarily on research?

PW: While as I said before I do have experiences in these areas, essentially Perry came straight out of my imagination. In my work I did see students living with aunts and uncles, with grandparents, with friends and while generally people think it’s exaggerated for fiction’s sake, it really is how it happens to many children- especially to young adults who have special needs but who are able for one reason or another to live on their own. If you want to see how society still treats these people -- go to Good Will Industries and watch what happens to them when they get off work. There are still many unkind people in this world and it isn’t just confined to the school playground.


DMN: Much of the novel takes place around the world of sailing and it is clear the protagonist is extremely proficient in that world. I know you own a yacht. Have you always been interested in sailing?

PW: When you talk about me owning a yacht it sounds quite luxurious but I assure you the reality is far more pedestrian! I have lived by the sea most of my life and love it- and my husband has always been an avid sailor. Our 48-foot ketch ORION is quite ordinary by sailboat standards. We do most of the work ourselves. It’s our home and we live aboard which is a life style decision. It?s small and quite energy efficient. There’s something freeing about an unconventional living space that enhances creativity- ORION is where we live. She is our home. It was a natural extension of that to have Perry a sailor as well. It is an endeavor that rewards feel rather than intelligence. To be able to sense and feel the way the wind blows is unique and does not depend on ‘smartness.’

DMN: Perry's mother is a very unsympathetic character even though we do not get to know her in the book. Did you deliberately choose to have her absent and, if so, why?

PW: This is a little known reality in the world of special needs children- having both a mother and father is a luxury. Mothers and fathers - through divorce and poverty do abandon even normally abled children. Many of my students lived with their grandparents. I’m of the generation where we often have our children’s children AND have to take care of our own parents. I know those who reject this scenario and leave- It happens all the time. Oftentimes we chose not to see it.

With respect to the characterization, since my narrator is both unreliable AND cognitively challenged he sees many things in black and white- those people who he doesn’t have much to do with are sketchily drawn because Perry doesn’t do much conjecturing about what they’re really like or their motivations. I had to be true to this. I also wanted to give the book the feeling of a parable where good and evil are more distinct and there are fewer shades of gray.


DMN: I read you have gone to book signings by sea as well as land. Do you set up your signing schedule so you can sail from Hawaii?

PW: No not at all lol! It’s very difficult to make long passages like that. My home stays moored at the dock unless we do a short day or weekend sail. But I have done book clubs aboard boats and that has been great fun. Book clubs to me are a huge bonus. I enjoy interacting with readers and discussing aspects of my novel.
When groups contact me I can usually be present by speaker phone and sometimes ichat or SKYPE.

DMN: Do you write every day?

PW: Yes. I may not write on my current work in progress but I do write every day. I have several novels at various points in the editing process and tend to write a horribly disjointed first draft to get my ideas down and then spend copious amounts of time revising and rewriting.

DMN: What's coming next?
PW: A coming of age story about impossible dreams with an unusual narrator that’s set in the 1980’s.

Thanks Patricia, and good luck.

Getting a grip

Yesterday we learned 500,000 people lost their jobs in November. And that the December figure will also be enormous. There's even talk that the unemployment figure will be over 3,000,000 by June 09.

Not good. There's going to be a lot of hardship.

But, on the other hand, the economy needs to realign--reinvent itself, even.

Isn't over-consumption also a blight?

WHY do we need to change our cars every two years, or buy the latest kitchen and electronic gadgets?

Maybe we need to let GM, Chrysler and Ford go bankrupt.

They've been arrogant, employed armies of lawyers to sue in state courts when states like California wanted to reduce emissions and clean our air. They fought the EPA.
They made the ridiculous Hummer for ridiculous customers.

WHY can't we get our washing machines and TVs repaired like they did in prior generations?

I burst out laughing the other day when I heard an airhead mother complain on the telly that her family have to cut back--they'd have to buy cheaper groceries and clothing and stop going to Borders and Barnes and Noble.
Hey, cancel your cable bill and throw away the cell phone plans--it's becoming more apparent they cause cancer of the brain anyway. Let your kids read. Encourage them to play outside instead of becoming obese couch potatoes.


WHY can't we use cash more often than we use credit cards and stop lining the pockets of MasterCard and Visa?

WHAT'S wrong with saving some of our money so we don't saddle the next generation and the next with our wanton debt?

Aren't we supposed to go green?
Going green involves sacrifice and true responsibility.
It means less Mercedes, Landrovers and Rangerovers and more compact cars. Europeans get it.
Is anyone really impressed by large or expensive cars nowadays?
I don't believe so.
Well, maybe the gullible or noveau riche.

'Let's get a grip' should be the motto.

Introducing Kerrouet House

My good friends Niall and Poul have opened their culinary school at Kerrouet House in Brittany, France.

Check out their link Kerrouet House on my General Blogs sidebar to see what's going on and how you can have a great vacation in rural France while at the same time learning to cook gourmet.

The first part's in French. Just scroll down to get the English parts.

Merci!

Back in the USA

I returned to the United States last week and find myself trying to start a new project this morning. It is something I have mulled for the past two weeks yet it is difficult to begin because so much of my head is still back in Ireland. I see the churchyard and fringe of sturdy beech trees in front of which my father lies sleeping. I see the flagstone path up to his grave which I helped to lay in conjunction with my youngest brother Dermot and brother-in-law Michael and my nephews. I see my mother sitting alone in the living room saying her novenas, praying for me, for Dad, fore all of us. I see Siobhan hugging Max, the lovable puppy she fell in love with at first glance despite her insisting my nephew had to have a dog that wouldn't shed. I see Floss, the Springer Spaniel puppy my brotehr Dermot's children had to get when they knew their cousin had a new puppy. I see the enclosures my father built for the puppies just before his death. I see my sister Deirdre at work in the broadband I helped set up for her. I see my brother Seamus wait fro the letter telling him he can come up for the epidural to Belfast for the epidural that hopefully will take away the pain in his back. I see Dermot gazing at our Dad's photograph on his bedside table before tuirning off his light.

Time will let us all move on, but he will be with us and we will never forget him.

Tomorrow

Tomorrow is an exciting day, an opportunity for the citizens of the United States to renounce the horrid mistakes and deliberate cruel calculations of the past eight years, to overcome racism as much as we can, to move forward in the full spirit of the Founding Fathers, to kick start our sick economy, to look after the less privileged and sick among us, to behave with a conscience, act with full respect for international laws and our obligations under fair treaties and restore our leadership and trust abroad.

Let us hope we do it.

I wish for a newly organized House and Senate with filibuster proof majorities, or one where honest and conscientious moderate Republicans need have no fear to vote with the new party in power to move this country quickly forward. It is necessary to relax the power of wisely inserted checks and balances among the branches of government for a very short period when we have been driven to edge of a dark and unpredictable abyss. Four years will be enough time to do this necessary work.

SHAME ON FOX NEWS

At home with my family during this difficult time, I have been watching the American election campaign from a distance. My parents have Sky and I am obliged to watch the Fox News.

Until now, I had heard and read about how bigoted Fox News is. We have a local Fox station in the States, but it is not prejudiced and covers local issues. They are not considered one of the major networks.

I have been stunned by the blatant anti-Obama and Democratic Party rhetoric that is occurring at this station. And deliberate mis-information and skewed polls are being fed the audience, more so now that Obama is beginning to surge in the polls. Moreover there is NO attempt at journalistic or editorial impartiality--Geraldine Ferraro is their only token democrat of any repute and she tries her best to give the Democratic opinion against the snide comments of anchors.

Shame on Fox News. I am disgusted to the cusp of anger. A day of reckoning is due from the regulators they so hate.

An update

Due to the death of my beloved father James Francis, I have not been maintaining this blog.

Posting will resume at some future point.

Who'll be President Round 1

Last night's debate was meant to be about foreign policy, which no one wanted to hear about because this time it really is "the economy, stupid."

I mean, without a healthy economy, we won't need to discuss foreign policy issues, right?

Right.

On balance, I'd say McCain came off a hair's breath better than Obama in that he did look more presidential than I'd thought he would. (Our expectations are that Obama does already look and behave presidential at all times, so that's why McCain gets the edge here.)

Rudeness award also goes to McCain who failed to make eye contact with Obama, nor did he exercise common courtesy in using his first name even on one occasion.

McCain failed to brand Obama as a greenhorn, his failure helped in part by the fact he could not pronounce the name of the Iranian and Pakistani presidents.


Obama failed to get his rebuttals across during the remaining moments of the 'five minute' open floor because he was behaving too gentlemanly. In a crucial debate, get your point across Mate or the people won't know. McCain was very effective in this strategy and Obama needs to become more assertive here.

Next up is Biden v Palin. That will be most interesting. Can't wait.

(Marginally less) Scarey days II

So, the meltdown has been avoided or, er, postponed.

For once both parties--well, the sensible House and Senate members of each party--have decided this is about America and not partisan politics and will work together on the bail-out.

I want the Democrats (and the sensible Republicans on the Sunday Morning shows yesterday) to stick to their guns and insist:

1. No golden parachutes for the Wall Street "captains" whose greed and ignorance got us here, and reform to establish proper and moral methods of compensation for these people. Fear of interfering with free market forces be damned. We've been down that road and it didn't work.

2. Relief for the hundreds of thousands of people facing foreclosure of their homes.

3. Strict governmental oversight.

It doesn't matter that a deal doesn't get down within two or three days as Treasury Secretary Paulson wants/insists. The days of this administration TELLING people what they need and want are over.

Barney Frank and Nancy Pelosi came across as people determined to get these three demands into any bill. He is knowledgeable in finance and we can wait a couple of weeks to get the bill drafted properly. Congress can stray another week. They'll still have five weeks left to get what they need to say to their individual districts before the elections.

Oh, and with the above three provisions contained in a bill, the bill will be clean.

Is your doggie chattel?

Saw an interesting segment on the telly the other night about people divorcing and their animals.

Apparently some married couples and co-habitees, not content to cause huge anguish (and damage) to their kids by raucously playing out the sad demise of their relationship, now are using their family pets as opportunities to inflict distress on the former 'beloved other half'. Some of them take off with the dog and cat and refuse to give the other partner visiting rights.

It's happening so regularly that people (including some judges) involved in sorting out the mess are beginning to wonder if the law that dogs and cats are chattel shouldn't change. By chattel, I mean possessions. Currently, the law is that dogs and cats are 'things' and the party who bought the dog or cat is the legal owner in law, regardless of whether or not the other partner cared or loved it.

The reasoning behind this sea change is that dogs and cats are really regarded as family members nowadays and should be treated in the same way as children when it comes to divorce/separation.

I agree a change is needed. The law's an ass here. (No pun intended.)

Scarey Days

Looks like Wall Street folks are beginning to experience some of Main Streets pain as they pack the contents of their desks into boxes and head out the door for the last time. I've always been suspicious of the greed on Wall Street, but now I'm hopping mad these guys have the keys of our economy in their hands.

Too many dodgy investments have been dreamed up by these so-called top-tier College financial analysts who 'earn' huge bonuses for creating them and getting the representatives of pension funds and Main Street commercial banks to persuade their clients (ergo 'us') to buy them. Even worse the CEOs' of these investment banks DO NOT understand the full extent of the risks their subordinates are exposing their institutions to, and the government's failed to ensure adequate control and regulation. And McCain and Palin are campaigning for even less regulation.

Are the chickens coming home to roost: First Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac being put under conservatorship (read Bankruptcy protection). Now Lehman Bros and Merrill Lynch--though technically the latter's a stay of execution; next AIG; after that WaMu? What's coming down the pipeline? What are we not being told? Are we heading toward another Great Depression? Huge financial institutions are failing and the public seems indifferent. Or are we going to wake up one morning to a massive run on the commercial banks?


Who needs to go to the movies and watch a horror movie to be scared?

Twisted Agendas

They say if you wait long enough something you need comes. Well, boy is that true in this case.

I've been dissatisfied with the titles of my new novel. Each title I came up with was interesting but just didn't enthuse.

And yesterday, I went with Larry and friends to Longwood Gardens--the estate outside Philly that Pierre DuPont saved in 1909 from logging interests when the Quaker family who'd possessed it for 200 years decided to sell it--and it came to me while watching the fireworks and colorful fountain display in the evening. It may or may not have been my mulling of the twisted plans of loggers to ruthlessly cut down the magnificent 200 year old Tulip, Oak, American beech and Ginko trees.

TWISTED AGENDAS is its final name. Because that's really what it's about--the agenda of Derry's overbearing father, the agendas of Piper's dysfunctional parents, the agenda of old Mrs. Hartley against Julia and Derry, the agenda of the MI5 detectives.

So now I can rest. The title's found. And any prospective agent and publisher will hopefully love it.

UK's Legend Press cover for A Son Called Gabriel

I rather like the cover that's been designed for the Trade Paperback version which releases in the UK in October.

I'm very excited about Tom Chalmers publishing the novel and thank Lucy who's busy securing PR for the book.

On writing

I've just finished yet another rewrite of my novel whose working title has changed to Sparrows expelling Peregrines. It took longer than usual because I'm not good in the fierce heat and my family were here, though I did work early mornings. (My sister was impressed, and it take a lot to do that.) What's amazing is the word count fell from 106,000 to 85,000 words and I realized during the process just how difficult it is to cut stuff that's really good but doesn't need to be in the novel. Of course, I've saved all the really good bits for a future work.

I've also just completed the dreaded synopsis and am quite pleased with it. Most writers despise writing synposis, but I don't really have a problem with it as it was part of my 'O' level English course at high school to write precis.

I think the synopsis should be written as if one is writing copy for the book jacket. Only the most important plot details should be mentioned.

I've noticed some literary agents ask writers to send in a 1 to 7 page synposis as well as the first three chapters or so when querying them about one's work. Quite frankly, I am not interested in doing that because a short, on-point description of three paragraphs and a sample should be enough for a good agent to decide if they'd like to read the entire work or not.

As a result, there's a bunch of literary agents out there I won't query or who won't look at my work (I'm agent-hunting currently), but there you have it.

Another advantage to writing the synopsis is that one is forced to think about what type of novel one has written. This is invaluable as it then allows a writer to streamline the agent search.

My synopsis made me to realize I am really a writer of mainstream literary fiction that's offbeat and has dark and comic elements. Thus, I only query agents who like that kind of work.

So far, no requests for a 7 page synposis, tomes in themselves.

Anyway, here's my synopsis:

Exasperated by his domineering, highly successful father who's even handpicked his fiancee, Derry Connolly, a likable conventional young Irishman, breaks away and sets out for London to change while attending a language school. Change begins right on the ferry crossing when he meets Piper who’s really Philomena Harris, an independent young American studying at the LSE whose relationship with her mother is almost non-existent. Piper's enthralled with the “romance” of the IRA and falling in love with her Californian boyfriend, but not the sex.

After inviting Derry to stay at her home, Derry discovers a sawed-off shotgun in a closet and fears Piper may not be who she says is—even more so when he learns she had to escape the police during a visit to Westminster parliament. With alacrity, he moves in with Julia who’s an upstanding British immigration officer. She’s also involved with a married woman with two kids and despised by an elderly widow who writes to the Queen Mother and desperately wants possession of Julia’s home for her son. As a result, Derry unwittingly becomes her target, too. A bomb explosion leads the British secret police first to Piper and then Derry, who’s arrested and accused of being an IRA terrorist. While under interrogation, Derry's astonished to see a woman whom he's attracted to chatting to one of the female detectives, and Julia lies to his father as to why he's been arrested, a lie he appears to accept.

On a trip home to Manhattan following some unorthodox therapy for her sexual apathy from a German neighbor, Piper’s NYPD dad has a meltdown because he can’t accept Piper’s mother is getting married again. At the wedding, anxious that her new life be filled with good luck from the get-go, her mother informs Piper she’s working to forgive her for a past transgression. Fueled by champagne and irritation, Piper confronts her before she leaves on honeymoon and learns the reason her mother withdrew from her. Discovering Julia's lie and learning about his son’s legal predicament, his father arrives in London to demand Derry return home and a confrontation between the two occurs on that September day when the world’s view of terrorism changed forever.

Dara Torres

Congratulations to Olympic champion Dara Torres who, in my opinion, represents the best of what contemporary America represents. In a very generous act, she approached an umpire before her semifinal heat and asked her to delay the race because one of her competitor's swimsuit had ripped and she needed to change. And what an exemplary show of sportsmanship when she lost in the final by 100th of a second--it was amazing to watch the 41 yar old cross her lane and congratulate the German winner.

This is what America is about--not the absurd and possessed people leading this country today, nor the greedy Wall Street investment banker s or "Captains of Industry" send this country down the tubes.

While I congratulate Michael Phelps--himself, an all-round balanced guy it appears--I say, put Dara on the Wheaties box for kids to admire and give her speaking engagements.

Long time, no post

Well, it's summer and people go on vacation or just burn out on blogging, right.

I have to be honest and say I've not missed updating this blog. It take a lot of work and it's time that should be spent writing novels or whatever.

I've had a super summer this far. My sister Siobhan, brother-in-law Michael and nephews David and Ryan were out from Ireland and Larry and I had a ball with them. Much traveling was done, of course.

Finding our car too small, a Toyota Sienna was rented from Enterprise--must say the staff were extremely efficient and friendly, and we went to DC where we visited the White House and had a two hour tour of Capitol Hill courtesy of our local Congressman Patrick Murphy. An interesting vote was being held and we watched fascinated as the chamber filled with representatives.

A special thanks to Rachel, his intern, and wishing you good luck on her stint at Cambridge Uni.

Feeling the need for some roller coaster action (well, everyone that is except Siobhan, Larry and David), all of us including L&L set out to spend a day at Six Flags Great Adventure and much fun was had by all. I must say the park is not as efficiently run as the Disney and Universal Studio Parks and the fast food was a huge rip-off.
L&L are looking forward to some much-deserved downtime (this year has been a bit of an annus horribilis for them) and will leave soon for a one week vacation where they'll share a house somewhere in rural Tuscany with some friends. Much fun was had by my nephews at their swimming pool--Irish weather does not permit poolside life, unfortunately--and, sitting poolside one evening with L&L, I realized how truly special it is to have become true friends with such unpretentious, caring and open women. Here's to that Irish trip, girls.

Our penultimate outing was to the Bronx Zoo, which was of interest to me because it's one of the most important zoos in the world and does much important research. It did not disappoint, though we did not get to see all the exhibits especially the African one. Larry, who grew up in the Bronx, was a little disappointed as he remembered it being less commercial than it is now. However, the animals live in pretty natural habitats and seemed happy--ergo I was happy.

More anon...

Feeding homeless doggies

Here's a very easy way to help feed hungry, homeless doggies.

Mimi, a kid from Oregon, was upset by the number of dogs affected by hurricanes and mortgage foreclosures, etc and has set up a website that's sponsored by a company that donates 20 pieces of kibble to animal shelters for everyone who plays the Bow-Wow trivia game on her site. Initially, it covered her native Oregon but has now expanded.
Since April, over 3 million pieces have been donated. That's a lot of full tummies.

Clicking Free Kibble and playing is a way to feel good about helping feed unlucky animals even if you're not a dog (or cat) owner.

They'll make sure Augusten Burroughs keeps his hands of it.

Monday at the Y

Pennsylvania is horrid when its muggy. I don't think I'll ever get used to this no matter how long I live here. Years ago, I thought high summer in London was bad but it was a breeze in comparison.

And this morning at the Y, they'd decided to conserve energy by keeping the air-con off and the windows can't be opened. All around the gym people were moving from station to station with a sheen on their skins and sweat beads on their foreheads--some were even sweating within minutes of beginning their routines. Even Hornet was having breathing problems and seemed too tired to bother to straighten her head band which was rakishly lopsided and the scrupulously applied mascara was running in ghoulish fashion. (She's since sold her bright yellow Hummer undoubtedly on account of the gas usage--to my surprise, she's eaten the whole hog and gone 'Prius.')

I was actually nervous some of the older dears might faint, or worse, expire. There's a policy at the Y that foul language will NOT be tolerated. Much subversion occurred today...even from the muttering snippets I heard from the old dearies.

Getting closer

I'm going to walk the hallowed halls of The White House...again. Just been informed by our local Congressman. I promise not to bag the Lincoln Bedroom.

First time I went there was eight years ago during the Clinton Administration and it was very interesting, though I was amazed at how small the house actually is. It was during Easter and the staff were putting out wooden eggs for the kids to find next day.

My youngest sister Siobhan, her hubby Michael and children, David--no longer a kid as he's now at University--and Ryan, arrive soon and we have been accepted and given the date of the visit. Since 9/11, one has to apply via one's Congressional rep to visit the White House and then information like SSN and Passport Numbers have to be provided. Makes perfect sense.

So we'll spend a weekend in DC.

Also planned is a trip to the Bronx Zoo, the largest in the world. What did ya expect? This is New York.

One can ride over the lion exhibit in a cable car the grounds are so huge.

Tis the season

We've got four blueberry shrubs in our orchard and, as it's now the harvesting season, it's now a constant battle between me and the birds as to who gets to the ripening crop first each morning.

Last year the birds won hands down.

So far this season I'm winning. And the noise the songbirds (especially the aggressive wrens) make as they watch beady-eyed from the peach and pear trees. It's as if they know what I'm doing and are irritated. Sometimes, their protests are so loud, I feel as if I'm in Hitchcock's The Birds.

And what a bounty. We've got three different varieties and the shrubs are so heavy with clusters of fruit that their sinewy branches dip toward the ground. I've already collected four pints of blue berries that look as if they have been dipped in the finest of talcum powder or kissed by the morning mist.

Blueberries are a singularly American delicacy--and choc-a-bloc with vitamin C. They are delicious to eat off right off the branch or can be made into jams, pies or,my favorite, cobbler and served with vanilla ice-cream.

Off I go a-picking.