Going Global & The BFL

I don't know how long this trend will last, but I've noticed that my first two novels are both global in scope. While the first takes place in Dearborn, Michigan, it reaches around the state, the country and then off to the Arab Middle East among other places. The novel I'm working on now takes place in China, between a native and a New Yorker and it too will have people putting their equivalent of two cents in through global governing bodies, international corporations, various media outlets and beer houses and halls the world over.

I like this. I like showing how there are repercussions (globally) to our actions. These actions range from judgments passed on blogs and in pubs to violence incited over cartoons or a lack of good beer.

While I did not explore this much in the first book, this time I will have more opportunities for the protagonists to see and react to the waves of responses they stoke.

Lastly, my new working title for the book is, The Beer Flower Limited (BFL). I have Brittany Morford to thank for this. Thank you, Brittany.

Light at the end of the tunnel

Tuesday, December 23, 2008. The book will be done (or, at least, the second draft will). I have 14 pages to edit and then I'll take a day to give each chapter a name. Looks like I'll clock in at around 195-196 pages and a little over 70,000 words.

It's snowing in New York today and when not editing or sipping hot chocolate, the Counting Crows and I sing A Long December. And I have many reasons to believe this year has been better than the last, if not one of the best.

Last Third To Go; Michigan in the press

I'm now about two thirds of the way through editing. I've found a good rhythm lately and hope to keep it up while in the boonies the next few days. Keeping it up when back in the city will require particular fortitude as New York in December is nothing but sugar and booze, at least, usually. This year may be more subdued. Then there's the Hot Stove and Davidson b-ball (big games against NC State, West Virginia & Purdue) that beckon. Whatever, I gotta bang this puppy out. The hardest parts are over, I'm in the home stretch and hey, have you noticed how much press Michigan's got lately?

The performance of the Big Three on Capitol Hill and on Wall Street only justified a scene in the book where bored Ford execs prank call the guys from Botswana looking for business tips. The Batswana turn around and tell them to short Ford stock. I wrote that this past winter. If only I had taken my own advice...Fuhgedaboutit.

Checked out

Now that I've decided to return to New York on Sunday, my mind has already checked out. I've edited the prologue, the first chapter and outlined changes for chapter two which will need a lot of work. But it's work I'd like to tackle back home.

Till then, I'm doing things in the area that I haven't been able to yet. I spent today in Ann Arbor. Tomorrow I'm going to tour Henry Ford's estate and, hopefully, go to a hookah bar. Yesterday I went to a local Arab restaurant. All in all, I've met good people who have done an excellent job of answering my questions and helping me better understand the area, its history and its people.

Unfortunately, I never got to work for a local Arab bakery which would have been a lot of fun and educational. Business locally's been slow and the bakeries I inquired at didn't need any extra part-time help.

There will be no shortage of distractions at home, but I've got into a good editing rhythm lately, working hours at a time unlike the first draft where I'd bang out some copy in an hour or so and call it a day. Plus, being this close to the end with so many people asking me how it's coming along, is only more incentive to wrap it up strong.

So tell me about the book...

I just finished watching Gung Ho which, unfortunately, did not take place in Michigan, but rather in Pennsylvania. Go figure. Either way, 20 years on and the themes of that story are still relevant, if not more so in a world that is not just commercially bipolar (Japan and the U.S.), but multipolar.

While watching the film I said to myself that I could perhaps describe the book I'm working on in terms of an updated Gung Ho. The analogy, unfortunately, falls apart in a few ways. While Gung Ho more or less explores the Japanese-American work dynamic (with tastes of cultural differences), my story will most likely pull up a number of issues across the board (first world vs. third world; immigrants vs. natives (which, in the U.S., is still kind of a joke as only the Native Americans can really lay claim to that moniker); and, of course, baseball vs. soccer). That being said, when asked what the story's about, it's been a challenge to come up with a short and sweet response that accurately conveys the story's conflict and gets people interested.

This will be particularly important to nail down when the boy from New York City shows up in Dearborn. I've been thinking of saying, "It's about the conflicts that arise in a city dealing with economic and immigrant issues." I know, that's blindingly boring and not funny at all, but I reckon it'll get people talking and sharing their stories which'll help me paint a more accurate picture.