There was this preacher once…he did an awful thing…

Oh it’s not what you think. Okay, maybe it is, a little bit. A couple of weeks ago, it occurred to me that events that have transpired in my life to date that could tell an eerie story. A story that could easily be told through the eyes of many different people, not just my own.

Sure, I have been known to be vague and misleading at times when I want to call someone out. It’s safer that way, even with the power of the 1st Amendment behind you – kind of a way to “pull the pin” so to speak, and run. There I go again.

Getting back to this story that has revealed itself to me – it’s a work in progress, actually. A work of fantastical fiction, or maybe just a twisted interpretation of real world people and the sick things they are capable of. If I were to put a few well written story tellers together, they could weave this story in no time. A little undertone set by Agatha Christie, a healthy dose of James Patterson, a flash of Dan Brown and gloss it all over with Stephen King – yeah…that’s the group that could tell this story.

So as I write this at 1am on the eve of yet another so called “blizzard” day in New England and I have all these images of my whodunit novel running through my mind, I can’t help but wonder where the story opens. Every good mystery starts off looking back at what led us to “this” point in time.

Mine starts with the protagonist of the story having just been found murdered by local police, only ten minutes after the body has been discovered, the Feds show up (because aren’t they always investigating something in Somerville?) and shut down the local PD investigation before it could begin. But that’s not good enough for one local detective – he knows all the people who would have had motive to give sweet release to the deceased. In fact, he might be a suspect himself – almost everyone in this city has a reason to wish the recently departed bon voyage.

The problem wouldn’t be the long list of people out for revenge against this particular piece of work – it would be who exactly would play the protagonist? Would it be the long serving “old school” politician still trying to do business like it was 1976? Maybe it be the highly polished preacher who unabashedly sneers at anyone who fits in his crosshairs both in and out of his parish? How about the publisher of a local news rag who finally came uncorked in his glory days? Oh how these three in particular pique my creative mind and get the juices flowing.

Then there’s the list of suspects – people with serious motive – politicians and local businesspeople who were strong-armed for money and favors, former employees who were cheated out of money, people who had veiled threats of exposure levied at them, victims of assault or fraud, everyday normal people wrongfully accused of infidelic behavior. The list would go on and on. It would practically write itself. This could be a book for the ages – not just a slash and burn book of good guys and bad guys – they’re all bad, in one way or another…and why wouldn’t they be? They all came from the same place and time, really.

You know…it’s surprising how easy it is to get a book deal when you have a story to tell, and the ability to express yourself. If only I had the time… #FOH