Throughout my four decades in journalism, I have mostly stuck to writing nonfiction. Truth is stranger than most fiction, except for certain novelists. There is satisfaction to holding the powerful accountable in nonfiction in ways you cannot in fiction. You can go after the powerful in mostly subtle ways through fiction, but nonfiction is more direct.
However, I've long enjoyed writing some fictional short stories and recently decided to turn one into a longer novel. The King of the Internet was done mostly for fun, but also to see if I might be able to reach people who aren't all that into politics. I did my best to poke fun at every institution I could, including Hollywood, U.S. politics, marriage, and relationships.
For instance, the Academy Awards are coming up Feb. 24. Most of the speeches are well-meaning-but-boring thankfests. Sure, award winners have raised awareness for important causes, including AIDS, equality, and climate change. But I mostly remember the time in 2003 when director Michael Moore was booed off the stage after calling George W. Bush a "fictitious president" and shaming him for invading Iraq for fictitious reasons. It wasn't the most poignant moment, but it was memorable.
I'd like to see someone relay a petty speech, like Michael Jordan gave before the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2009, in which he noted the people who shunned or disrespected him and drove him to be the best athlete and person he could. But he didn't use profanity, which the protagonist in this novel did in his acceptance speech to open the book. A petty cussfest would be entertaining, and isn't that at least partly what the Academy Awards should be about? Instead, it's mostly about talented, super-wealthy people honoring each other and promoting their films, which I guess is fine but boring.
This contemporary novel contains both humorous and tragic parts as it follows the exploits of a war veteran-writer, who finds some relief from September 11th and Gulf War guilt by becoming a masked dating guru.
While it lampoons institutions at times, the narrative also tackles matters like dealing with loss, guilt, and intense political divisiveness in a more serious vein.
Cam and Greta Williams married young in a New Jersey town. They get divorced but reunite years later by living in the same house with their three teens. Mostly without the kids knowing, they maintain outside relationships, getting into sticky situations in the process.
Cam, a writer who served in the Gulf War, carries guilt for years not only about his war experiences, but from leaving some firefighters who die in the World Trade Center during the 2001 terrorist attacks. He has a recurring nightmare and loses his job, but later writes a novel about the lives of the firefighters that becomes a movie. While that helps him financially and emotionally, he develops a dating system and becomes a masked, underground relationship guru called “The King of the Internet.” The crowd worshiping makes him feel alive and forget his guilt in a way nothing else has.
Greta, an advertising executive, watches after the kids more and gets jealous of Cam being out late. She sometimes brings dates home late when she thinks the kids are sleeping. She meets Cam’s agent and eventually marries him.
Cam falls for a woman, but tragedy strikes. He decides to end the guru gig. While unmasking himself, he learns about a potential plot against the U.S. president, who he finds disgusting. Will he succumb to bitter inertia or risk his life for someone he personally finds repulsive? His decision has far-reaching consequences not just for the soul of the country and the world, but for his own redemption.
The novel is on sale for just 99 cents through the Amazon Kindle here from Feb. 16 through Feb. 23. Enjoy and don't take this too seriously.
However, I've long enjoyed writing some fictional short stories and recently decided to turn one into a longer novel. The King of the Internet was done mostly for fun, but also to see if I might be able to reach people who aren't all that into politics. I did my best to poke fun at every institution I could, including Hollywood, U.S. politics, marriage, and relationships.
For instance, the Academy Awards are coming up Feb. 24. Most of the speeches are well-meaning-but-boring thankfests. Sure, award winners have raised awareness for important causes, including AIDS, equality, and climate change. But I mostly remember the time in 2003 when director Michael Moore was booed off the stage after calling George W. Bush a "fictitious president" and shaming him for invading Iraq for fictitious reasons. It wasn't the most poignant moment, but it was memorable.
I'd like to see someone relay a petty speech, like Michael Jordan gave before the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2009, in which he noted the people who shunned or disrespected him and drove him to be the best athlete and person he could. But he didn't use profanity, which the protagonist in this novel did in his acceptance speech to open the book. A petty cussfest would be entertaining, and isn't that at least partly what the Academy Awards should be about? Instead, it's mostly about talented, super-wealthy people honoring each other and promoting their films, which I guess is fine but boring.
This contemporary novel contains both humorous and tragic parts as it follows the exploits of a war veteran-writer, who finds some relief from September 11th and Gulf War guilt by becoming a masked dating guru.
While it lampoons institutions at times, the narrative also tackles matters like dealing with loss, guilt, and intense political divisiveness in a more serious vein.
Cam and Greta Williams married young in a New Jersey town. They get divorced but reunite years later by living in the same house with their three teens. Mostly without the kids knowing, they maintain outside relationships, getting into sticky situations in the process.
Cam, a writer who served in the Gulf War, carries guilt for years not only about his war experiences, but from leaving some firefighters who die in the World Trade Center during the 2001 terrorist attacks. He has a recurring nightmare and loses his job, but later writes a novel about the lives of the firefighters that becomes a movie. While that helps him financially and emotionally, he develops a dating system and becomes a masked, underground relationship guru called “The King of the Internet.” The crowd worshiping makes him feel alive and forget his guilt in a way nothing else has.
Greta, an advertising executive, watches after the kids more and gets jealous of Cam being out late. She sometimes brings dates home late when she thinks the kids are sleeping. She meets Cam’s agent and eventually marries him.
Cam falls for a woman, but tragedy strikes. He decides to end the guru gig. While unmasking himself, he learns about a potential plot against the U.S. president, who he finds disgusting. Will he succumb to bitter inertia or risk his life for someone he personally finds repulsive? His decision has far-reaching consequences not just for the soul of the country and the world, but for his own redemption.
The novel is on sale for just 99 cents through the Amazon Kindle here from Feb. 16 through Feb. 23. Enjoy and don't take this too seriously.
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