Happy New Year! Last year I took an old unpublished novel I had unwarranted affection for, dusted it off, slapped together a cover, and published here one chapter every week. It was actually a lot of fun and folks seemed to enjoy it, so I’ve decided to repeat the experiment. After all, I have a lot of unpublished novels.
My choice is “Designated Survivor.” Here’s the logline:
On the day of the State of the Union Address, Secretary of Education John Renicks, Ph.D. is informed that he will be the Designated Survivor in case the entire government is wiped out in a disaster or terrorist attack. While watching the State of the Union on a closed-circuit TV, the screen goes blank — and he soon finds himself fighting for not just his life, but the survival of the nation itself.
Okay, not the newest idea in the world. This novel stems from a meeting I took many years ago where the fundamental concept was pitched to me, and it was suggested that I take it and make it my own. I was excited about the challenge of taking what is a pretty hoary old premise and doing something unexpected with it. I think I succeeded, although the folks who pitched it to me didn’t care for where I took it, and so nothing much came of it. In the end, I really like the story I told here, and I hope you do too!
Starting Monday, January 3rd, the novel will pop up here chapter by chapter. See y’all then!