Journey to Fergus-2

Journey to Fergus 2

 Christopher K. Miller and I have exchanged first novels and some of the talk in the Goofie Newfie naturally turns to them. What I don't get a chance to ask him is why he called his 'The Bridge (aka The Money Song)'.  Dude, The Money Song all by its lonesome rocks as a title. Surely 'The Bridge' as a novel title is one that one would come across over and over through the years. But 'The Money Song' conjures up all kinds of feel good associations from Pink Floyd to street buskers to Celine Dion. OK, so Celine Dion is more feel weird than feel good. We'll move on.


It turns out that Chris is an expert in encryption, the art of turning data into code that only those in the know can decipher. His novel, if I understood him correctly despite the visual distractions in the Goofie Newfie, is about a guy who works doing encryptions for a financial institution. Having a screw or two loose (or maybe just being greedy, if you can imagine such a thing in this day and age) he decides to use his ability to extract the PIN's of strangers for his own ends. He chooses a certain victim, a gambler who will likely not notice money missing amongst the multitudinous deposits and withdrawals from his account. But the victimizer gradually becomes involved in the victim's life and... I have to read the book to glean the rest. Certainly the premise is interesting enough to get me started.


Chris also let it slip that that he considers himself a good ping pong player, even going so far as to challenge me to a game. Did I mention how gangly he was? With those long arms and his edgy, borderline frenetic energy he would doubtless be a formidable opponent. Little does he know (actually he does know because I told him) that I misspent many hours of my youth playing (read usually being crushed at) ping pong in my basement with former junior squash champion Ian Shaw. Nor that I've since honed my game by watching other drunken tourists play in Cuba. The next Journey to Fergus could be an athletic and literary clash of titanic proportions. Rest assured that a return visit to the Goofie Newfie will certainly part of the action.


Coming Soon: Journey to Minden! Yes on Aug.13, I, along with local literary giant Brenda L. Baker will be traveling to Minden, Ont. to read at the R.H. Lawrence Festival. We currently suspect our readings will be @ 3PM. And on August 20 I will be situated at a desk at our local Chapters Bookstore right here on Landsdowne St. in Peterborough, Ontario, to sign copies of  Waking Up Gilligan. Barb, the Chapters manager, tells me that I'll be just inside the front door. Hopefully between 1-3 pm that afternoon I will be tripped over by some familiar faces.