I hate social media. It’s an addictive rabbit-hole.
I just don’t have time. Social media takes away from my precious writing time.
I’m no good at creating those visuals and posts.
I’ve heard many authors—myself included—express our frustration and dismay at the expectation that we will not only produce wonderful books, but also carry out what amounts to a second full-time job as our own marketing team. Most of us don’t mind holding events, whether live or virtual, where we get to engage with readers. Nor do we mind interviews, written or recorded, where we can talk about our books and our writing process. But what so many of us do hate is the seemingly bottomless pit of social media engagement.
Facebook, with all those reader and writer groups. Instagram. Twitter. Pinterest.
“Likes” and “follows.” Comments and messages and shares.
Wouldn’t it be great if someone else could do all this for us?
Someone else can—for a price, and with a few caveats. Whether they call themselves virtual assistants, social media consultants, or author assistants, there are people who will manage your social media for you.
It’s been a week since my new book, kongo.com, was released. This was an interesting book to write. It contains three novellas that started as serials on my blog. The fourth novella is from an original story that has never been published. The intent of this story is to pull the other three together to show the ultimate goal of this corporation and the truth behind its technology.
In this post, I’m sharing the first part of this story. It’s called 3D life.
3D Life
Fifteen-year-old Jeff Beckett clicked through the kongo.com web site nervously. His Uncle Steve gave him a $100 gift card and he couldn’t decide among the hundreds of thousands of things on which he could spend it. He knew whatever he picked would have to be approved by his mom. Ever since his dad left with a young analyst from his company, Mom had been very restrictive of whatever Jeff did. He felt like she was punishing all men because of what his dad did. It wasn’t fair. The analyst was kind of hot, though.
Jeff finally decided on a new holographic game
controller for the Kongo Z-Con game console his dad gave him for Christmas. The
console was the most expensive on the market and was obviously a guilt gift
from his dad who left just before Thanksgiving. Jeff couldn’t believe his eyes
when he saw it. His mom hated it and it was the first thing to be taken away
whenever Jeff was punished for something. The tech was cool, and Jeff liked the
holographic sports games. He had one Z-Con holo-controller. A second one would
allow two-person games using the full display capabilities.
The controller was $89.95 leaving him about $10
on his card. He decided to use that on music downloads. His mom had to approve
every song, but he could live with that since she didn’t understand the music
he liked. He could sneak songs with secret lyrics by her with no problem.
His mom was in her office going over some files
for her patients. She was a school psychologist which made her mind games even
more unbearable. Jeff knocked and poked his head in.
“Mom, I decided what I want. I want to get
another holo-controller. I put it in our check out bin. Is that okay?”
His mom’s face said it all, but she relented.
“As long as you’re not spending more time on
that game. I could kill your father for getting it for you. It’s a waste of
brain power.”
“I know, Mom,” Jeff said with a patented
eye-roll. “But, can I get it?”
“Yes. I suppose so. I’ll put it through after I
order some other stuff that we need. We’re low on Kongo chips and your sister
needs some clothes and school supplies.”
“Okay. Let me know when you send it. I want to
invite Justin over to play later.”
“I will. Just remember, school starts soon and
you’re not going to spend hours on that game once summer is over.”
“I know, Mom. Just let me know when you put it
through.”
“Okay. Love you.”
She always had to say it. It was almost like a
question that demanded a response.
“Love you too, Mom.
Jeff went into his room and logged on to his
computer to chat with his friend Justin. He brought up the Kongo-comm chat app and
clicked on Justin’s name. Soon, his friends face appeared on the screen.
“Hey Jeffy. how’s everything? Did you get it?”
“Yeah. My mom said it’s okay. She’s going to
put it through in a little while. Why don’t you come down and we’ll wait for it?”
“Okay. I can’t wait to try out that new Kongo
World Cup 25. I heard it’s like being in the stadium with that holo-controller.”
“It’s cool in single player mode, but I’ll bet
two-player is a lot better.”
“It is, because then I can kick your sorry
butt.”
“Yeah, whatever. I’ll see you when you get
here.”
The friends signed off and Jeff went back
downstairs to see if his mom had ordered the controller.
********
Retailer kongo.com was a behemoth. Over 15
years, it swallowed up every competitor, big box department and book store and
was now zeroing in on the grocery business. Kongo’s founder and CEO, Jack
Burgess, was the perfect combination of technology and retail genius. He was
Steve Jobs and Jeff Bezos rolled into one amazing visionary. His brainchild, kongo.com,
took delivery to a new level. The industry had progressed to mail order
retailers offering next day, and eventually, same day shipping was the norm.
Then kongo.com raised the bar to a level that no one anticipated. They introduced
instant delivery.
The process was in the works for years. Burgess
pulled together brilliant molecular scientists from all over the world and used
his seemingly unlimited funds to conduct nearly ten years of research. What
emerged was a process that could take in a top-secret raw material, put it
through a patented process and used a cabinet that was a type of 3D
printer/replicator, like the fictional one from the Star Trek television series,
to produce whatever the customer ordered. It didn’t matter if it was clothes,
electronics, or food, the ‘closet’, as it was unofficially named, was the
delivery method for all goods.
As customers ordered goods, the appropriate raw
materials, in molecular form, flowed through a conduit into the closet and the
item appeared. The time it took to create the item varied based on its
molecular complexity.
Over the past few years kongo.com had spent
billions to run the conduit lines, much like telephone, electrical and internet
service to nearly every location in the United States and most locations in
modern countries. The company’s leadership, along with the U.S. State
Department, was now in talks with China, Eastern European countries and even
North Korea, to run supply lines to large cities. Despite the billions spent,
Kongo had earned back the money spent on the infrastructure in less than two
years. Along with paid services from its customers, kongo.com had established a
pipeline supplying free food to the parts of the world that needed it most.
Burgess was viewed as a humanitarian and was even being considered as a
potential candidate to win the Nobel Prize in both the science and peace
categories.
The secretive processing of kongo.com’s raw
materials was the key to the success of the company. Although the source and
composition of the raw material was the most closely-guarded trade secret in
the history of business, speculation abounded, and theories ranged that the raw
material was a combination of desert sand and water or a secret new chemical
element. All this speculation incorrectly identified the source. Burgess was
able to protect the secret by having a nearly 100% retention rate of the staff
with the knowledge of the process. He paid them very well and, if the money
wasn’t enough incentive, each employee involved in the process signed a
combination non-compete/non-disclosure agreement that would find them virtually
unable to get a job anywhere if they divulged any secrets. Even their generous
pension and 401K program would be wiped away if they felt the need to speak
about the process after retirement. Though the agreement seemed threatening,
the salary and benefits offered to these specialized individuals would never be
matched in another company.
********
Jeff was sitting in his room when he heard a
knock at the front door. He could see the front of the house from his second
story bedroom. He saw Justin’s bike leaning up against the magnolia tree in the
front yard. He opened his window just enough to yell down to his friend.
“Just come in. It’s unlocked.”
He heard the door open, a muted greeting to his
mom and then the plodding footsteps of his friend as he made his way up the
stairs.
“Hey, Jeffy,” Justin said as the door burst
open. “I didn’t catch you doing anything you shouldn’t, did I?”
Jeff shook his head as he looked at his friend.
Justin was overweight and unkempt. Unlike Jeff’s mom, his parents didn’t
regulate his video game time and, as a result, his body showed the effects.
Jeff loved video games, but he also liked to be outside and played in multiple
sports. Theirs was an unlikely, but solid friendship.
“Right, Justin. I told you to come in. Did you
think I’d just keep at it? I know it takes a while to haul your manatee butt up
the stairs, but not that long.”
“Bragging again, I see,” his friend said with a
smile.
The teasing between them was the kind that only
best friends could get away with.
“Just for that, when I get that holo-controller,
I’m not going to go easy on you. You’re toast.”
“Right. You can’t match my skill. I’ve got a
lot more hours on the console than you’ll ever have.”
“I know,” Jeff retorted. “That explains your
‘body by video games’ physique.”
A slight look of hurt crossed Justin’s face and
Jeff regretted the comeback. He knew Justin’s parents were on him about his
weight, but, as they were both obese, they couldn’t teach or demonstrate any
kind of self-control that would change his fate.
“Hey, I’m just short for my weight,” Justin
answered in his self-deprecating style.
Jeff let it go and changed the subject.
“Let me check to see if mom put in the order
with the holo-controller yet.”
Jeff logged in to the kongo.com site and, sure
enough, his mother had ordered the controller. The queue indicated that it
would print to the closet in about 10 minutes.
“We’ve got 10 minutes,” Jeff said. “Let’s get a
snack before it prints.”
“Sure, first you tell me I’m fat, then you
offer me food.”
“Does that mean you don’t want some leftover
coffee cake?”
“I didn’t say that. I was just pointing out the
irony.”
Jeff and Justin descended the stairs to the
kitchen to wait for the closet to deliver the goods ordered from kongo.com.
********
The kongo.com closet was about the size of a
small refrigerator. It was essentially a hollow box with a door on the front
and a thin layer of highly-sophisticated circuitry between the inner and outer
walls. The unit could be custom ordered to fit the décor of whatever room it
was in.
There was a nine-inch display screen on the
front of the closet that served multiple purposes. It showed the time and local
weather when the closet was inactive. It could be used to leave messages,
compile a grocery list, send text messages and even make phone calls. Its
primary purpose was to give status updates when there were incoming goods. The
goods were fully created within the closet by rearranging the molecular
structure of the raw material that flowed into it from a small pipeline in the
back of the unit.
The cost of items produced in the closet was
based on three factors. First was demand. If something was very popular, kongo.com
used traditional laws of supply and demand to set pricing. The latest fashions,
electronics and other tangible items were priced at premium levels. The second
factor was complexity. Something small and electronic might be much more
expensive than something large. A Kongo-Fit wristwatch, for instance, might
cost $400 while a six-person tent might only cost $150. Third was the amount of
raw material required to create the object. The density and weight of an object
would help determine how much it would cost. The intersection of these three
factors determined how much the customer would pay.
Because the raw material and technology to
produce each object was the same, there were no situations where items were out
of stock. For objects that were too large for the consumers closet unit, kongo.com
had regional fabrication centers that could produce automobiles, semi-trucks
and even component parts for buildings in very large fabrication chambers.
These components parts could then be picked up by consumers or companies that
chose to use kongo.com as their manufacturer for customized items. This
capability had changed the consumer and small company manufacturing industries
overnight.
******
Jeff and Justin finished their snacks. As they
sat at the kitchen Island, they could see the items ordered from kongo.com
queuing up on the closet’s display screen. The Kongo Chips were the first to
appear. Kongo Chips were one of the revolutionary food products created by the
company. They were completely synthesized, almost completely comprised of
healthy proteins, fiber and vitamins. They were extremely nutritious but,
unlike virtually all healthy foods, delicious. They had a taste that could only
be compared to crunchy potato chips with a hint of buttered popcorn and just a
touch of sweetness. This was all with minimal calories.
The chips were not only available to consumers,
but they were provided at no cost to countries struggling with hunger and
malnutrition, a PR boon for kongo.com. The military also purchased a version of
them to virtually replace their traditional Meals Ready to Eat or MREs, as they
were affectionately called.
Jeff retrieved three bags of chips from the
closet to make room for the next item. Apparently, his mom had ordered some
underwear for his older sister. This grossed him out, but he could see Justin
had some interest. Unfortunately for him, when Jeff retrieved them gingerly
from the closet, they were boring white garments with no titillating value
whatsoever.
Finally, the holo-controller was the next item
on deck to print. Jeff and Justin snacked on Kongo Chips as they waited the
interminable ten minutes it took to produce the sophisticated electronic
device. Finally, when it was complete, Jeff grabbed the controller and they
hurried to the family room to sync it up with the game console and try it out.
Once the sync was complete, they loaded up
Kongo World Cup Soccer 3D. Jeff and Justin put on their headsets and chose
their usual avatars from their favorite teams. The avatars earned points based
on their success in the games in which they had participated. Based on the
number of points, they were chosen on teams that were formed in the game’s
virtual community. You could choose to play on the same team as friends, but
Justin and Jeff chose to be on opposing teams. They both had extensive
experience with the game and were chosen on Level B teams, three levels below
the elite AAA Level teams mostly populated by professional gamers.
A timer floated away from the TV screen and
hovered in mid-air counting down the 30 seconds until the game started. Jeff’s
position was a left wing on his team. Justin ended up as the opposing team’s
goalie.
As the timer approached five seconds until game
time, a virtual stadium crowd encircled the family room and Jeff and Justin’s
avatars appeared as holographic images in the center of the room along with
their teammates. User names appeared on the front and back of the avatars’
colorful jerseys. This allowed them to, of course, keep track of their own
player along with the capability to address other players on their teams.
An imposing looking referee appeared and placed
the ball in the center on the side of the field for Justin’s team to kick off
and start the game. The game started in earnest and the opposing right winger
dribbled the ball near the sideline. Jeff could see that he had difficulty
controlling the ball. He waited for the right moment and deftly stole the ball
as the player, Beckham42, tried to pass him by. Jeff expertly mashed the
buttons on his controller and dribbled the ball into the other team’s
territory. As two players ran toward his avatar seeking to double team him on
defense, Jeff waited until they both committed and passed the ball off to the
center forward. He then maneuvered his avatar at an angle toward the goal being
careful not to get behind the defenders and be cited for an off-sides
violation. Once he was in position, the experienced center forward with the
user name, Pele72, passed to Jeff at just the right moment. He could see
Justin’s avatar waiting for him in front of the goal. When he felt he had the
right angle, he kicked the ball aiming for the upper right-hand corner of the
goal. Justin’s avatar reacted with lightning quickness, however, and expertly
tipped the ball over the top of the goal resulting in a corner kick for Jeff’s
team.
The closely matched play went on for quite some
time with no score until Justin’s team finally broke free with the ball and
scored a goal with a minute left in the match. That was the score at which the
game ended. Jeff never had another opportunity like the first one to score on
Justin. For now, Justin would have bragging rights. Jeff knew that he would
push the bravado to a certain level but would back off before taking it too
far. He was a true friend.
As the friends waited for the completion of the
game and the summary statistics began to pop up. Jeff felt a slight tickle in
his right ear. It wasn’t an electrical shock exactly, but just a tiny
stimulation of the hairs in his ear that was barely noticeable. He didn’t give
it a second thought. If he had mentioned it to Justin, however, his friend
would have told him that he experienced the same thing.
The boys shut down the game and decided to go up to Jeff’s room and check out what new games would be coming out soon now that Jeff had the second holo-controller.
If you enjoyed this snippet of the final story, please consider purchasing your copy of kongo.com from Amazon by clicking HERE.
Today is release day. It’s hard to believe that it is the release of the eleventh book that I’ve written in the past five years. This one was fun as it was outside of my traditional crime/mystery genre.
In my book, kongo.com, I have pulled together four separate related stories. Three of them were published as serials on my blog over the past year. The fourth is a brand new story that weaves together the other three. This was an enjoyable exercise and I hope that those that choose to read it will enjoy it as well.
Here is a bit about each of the stories in kongo.com
No Pain, No gain
In this story, we meet Joyce. She, like many of us, struggles with extra weight and with a lack of desire to do anything about it. That is, until she buys a revolutionary new fitness device from the mega-online company, kongo.com. The device is advertised as being life-changing. As you will see in this story, it truly is, but maybe not in the way Joyce hopes.
Memories of Rachel
Rachel is a young woman who is energetic with her whole life in front of her. The same day that she and her AI Scientist husband, Ben, find out that they are having a baby, she also finds out that she has advanced terminal cancer. She decides to make the ultimate sacrifice by foregoing toxic chemotherapy and radiation so that her baby can survive. She and Ben decide to use the artificial intelligence technology that Ben is developing for kongo.com to capture her memories, her emotions and her essence so that their infant child will know its mother even is she is not around to be in the baby’s life. Follow this story as the technology works beyond expectations and beyond boundaries to achieve this mission and much more that could endanger all that come in contact with digital Rachel.
First Impressions
Imagine a dating service that can match it’s subscribers to their perfect soul mate. To achieve this, the service would have to have a deep background in order to profile it’s customers. As a gigantic online retail organization, kongo.com has details on the buying, viewing and listening preferences of hundreds of millions of customers. Why not use this to help them find others with the same preferences? It seems like a logical expansion of their business until someone with a grudge and serious computer hacking skills seeks to sink the company from within using this service. Follow the twists and turns in this story that includes a visit from one of my favorite characters from my Frank Rozzani Detective Series.
3D Life
This tale reveals the ultimate goal and vision for the future by the behemoth company, kongo.com. Find out the underpinnings of the technology that is being rolled out from multiple areas of the company with one end game in mind. This brand new story appears exclusively in the book, kongo.com.
If you’re interested in checking out kongo.com, you can order a copy HERE. It’s available in print and Kindle formats today.
The March 29th release of my book, kongo.com is tomorrow! It’s a bit different than your typical novel or short story collection. It is comprised of four related novellas that each tell a distinct story about a behemoth corporation, kongo.com.
It’s no secret that online organizations are part of our everyday life. The company portrayed in this book takes what we know today to the next level.
It takes place in a not to distant, potential future. The stories in this book are all based on the possible evolution of existing technology – nanotechnology, artificial intelligence and our obsession with our devices.
Leading up to the release, I’m going to tell you a bit about each novella. Three of the four were previously published on my blog as serials. these three have been enhanced and modified. The fourth story is brand new and is meant to tie the previous three stories together.
The third story in the book is called First Impressions.This story explores the combination of a large retail services company and a dating/matchmaking site. When you think about it, online companies know a lot about us. Who better to take that information and help match customers with other customers looking for a relationship. What could possibly go wrong? In the world of kongo.com, whatever can go wrong, probably will. First Impressions take the reader down that path all with a surprise guest from my Frank Rozzani detective novels.
You can enjoy the first part of First Impressions below:
First Impressions
Meredith was finally getting her life back together. It had been 18 months since the divorce became final. At 33, she had finally come around to realizing that she was still relatively young and attractive. She had removed herself from an abusive relationship and was moving on. In the immediate months after the divorce, she couldn’t imagine looking for another relationship. She had sworn off men and was determined to go it alone and revel in her newly found freedom.
Then, as she
observed those around her, she would notice the second glance from men in the
coffee shop, the lingering smile from other in the grocery store. She felt
that, possibly, she was ready to put herself out there and could potentially
enjoy the company of the opposite sex once again. Being a very analytical
person that was comfortable with technology, Meredith decided to check out the
latest dating apps. She wanted something that was between the virtual meat
markets like Tinder and other similar apps and the marriage-minded services
like eHarmony. She wanted to date, but she didn’t want one-night-stands and she
wasn’t ready for a long-term commitment.
Her analysis
of what was out there brought her to Kongo-Match. This relatively new online
service offered by the online behemoth, kongo.com, seemed to fit the bill. The
service was known for carefully screening the backgrounds of those that signed
up and had a very good track record of matching people with not only similar,
but complementary interests. The parent company, kongo.com, had close to a
billion members. Meredith was among them. She subscribed to the kongo.com VIP
service which guaranteed her free delivery, often the same or next day, and put
her in line for being among the first to have access to newly emerging services
from the company.
The
registration process for Kongo-Match was extensive. It was almost like filling
out a job application. There were several sections that probed an applicant’s
education, work history, finances and personal interests. The process took
Meredith through several screens asking her about her favorite books, favorite
genres of television and movies, favorite music, favorite hobbies and many
other facets of her life. Kongo used the response to match applicants up with
others in similar social strata with similar likes and dislikes. Of course,
because the membership was free, Meredith assumed that Kongo would use her
responses to customize her online shopping view to those things for which she
indicated a preference. She was fine with that. She understood how companies
used information like this. It was up to the consumer to exercise self-control.
After she
completed her application, she expected to receive notifications for matches
with all manner of riff-raff, but, surprisingly, there were no responses within
the first two days. She thought that maybe she was too unique or too difficult
to match with anyone. The thought depressed her. Kongo-Match had over 20
million members. More than 50% were male. If none of them came up as a match,
maybe, Meredith thought, she faced a life of being alone and unmatchable. Then,
on the third day, she received a single notification in her inbox. She
reluctantly clicked it half expecting a message from Kongo-Match telling her
that she was a loser and had no potential matches. What she found surprised
her.
Meredith,
We are pleased to let you know that Kongo-Match has found
what we believe to be a perfect date for you based on your preferences. We
apologize for the delay in providing you with the information, but we take this
mission of bringing people together very seriously. When you read the
information about your potential match, we believe you will agree that the wait
was worth it.
Please review the profile for John. If you like what you
see and want to provide your information to him, just let us know and we will
help you get acquainted.
Meredith was
surprised at the level of security, but also pleased. As she scrolled through John’s
information, she noted how very close they were in background, education and
preferences. John also was at a similar economic level. One thing that was not
included was a photograph. She assumed one would be shared later.
Meredith
looked over John’s background information a few times looking for areas of
concern or some chink in the armor, but she found none. Finally, with only the
slightest hesitation, she clicked the ‘Yes’ radio button indicating that she
wanted Kongo-Match to share her information with him.
She settled in
to watch a movie on Kongo’s streaming service when, after only 30 minutes, a
notification popped up on her phone.
Kongo-Match has a response waiting for you
Meredith
paused the movie and clicked on the Kongo-Match icon and went to her inbox.
Meredith,
Good news. John has reviewed your profile and has indicated
that he is interested in sharing a photograph and contact information with you.
Please click the link below to receive this information.
Please Note: Kongo Match will not share your photo or
contact information with John unless you indicate that it is okay.
Meredith
clicked on the link. The man she saw was good looking, about her age. He had
thick brown hair with a slight curl to it. He had a strong jawline and a kind
face. The most notable feature that he possessed was a set of piercing,
intelligent hazel eyes. He looked like someone she wanted to meet.
She again
clicked the ‘Yes’ radio button indicating that she liked what she saw. Again,
she only hesitated slightly before clicking ‘OK’ when the next message
appeared.
Meredith: You have indicated that you would like to move to
the next step in contacting John. By clicking OK, you are agreeing to provide
John with your photograph and a brief message of introduction. John will also
receive your Kongo-Match email address. Are you sure you would like to proceed?
Meredith
hovered her cursor over the OK button and then clicked it. A box popped up so
that she could enter an introductory greeting of 144 characters or less. She
thought about what to say and then typed in her message:
Kongo’s technology thinks we are compatible. Let’s see if
the technology right or wrong. Let’s get in touch. I’m new at this, so be
patient.
She thought it
sounded corny, but, what the heck. She clicked send and didn’t give it another
thought as she engrossed herself in the movie.
As the closing
credits rolled by, another notification from Kongo-Match popped up on her phone
display. She checked the inbox and it was a message from John.
Meredith, aside from mix-ups for orders I receive, Kongo’s
technology seems very advanced and accurate. Who am I to argue? Let’s give it a
try.
Meredith liked
the humor in his response. It’s hard to convey aspects of your personality in a
message with complete sentences in 144 characters. Maybe this was going to be
fun.
In the coming
weeks, with help from Kongo-Match, Meredith and John engaged in a virtual chess
match as they corresponded with each other. Each of them had been burned in
past relationships and were being cautious with the information they shared.
The end result was that neither of them seemed to be psychopathic or dishonest.
They finally set a time to meet for dinner. Meredith would meet John at a local
Tuscan-Italian restaurant for an early dinner on the next Friday night.
As Friday
arrived, Meredith carefully chose an outfit that was somewhere between
librarian and hooker. She wanted to look attractive, but not desperate. She
chose a silk blouse and tailored capris. As she looked in the mirror, she
thought she looked attractive and relaxed. It was just dinner. No commitments
and no pressure.
She arrived at
the restaurant about five minutes after the time they said they would meet. The
hostess indicated that her dining partner was already seated. And led Meredith
to a table in the back of the dining room. She recognized John from his photo immediately.
He rose from his seat to greet her with a handshake and held her chair as she
sat. Manners. That was a good sign.
“It’s so great
to meet you in person,” John said. “I feel like I know you from our chats back
and forth.”
“I feel that
way too.”
Just as the
conversation was about to lapse into that uncomfortable stage, a waiter
appeared.
“Can I take
your drink orders?”
John gestured
to Meredith.
“I’d like a
glass of white Zinfandel,” Meredith said wondering if alcohol was the right
choice.
“Actually,
let’s make that a bottle,” John said, confirming the choice.
As they
settled in to dinner and sipping the wine, the conversation came much more
easily. John listened attentively as Meredith talked about her work and her
likes and dislikes. She did the same as he spoke about his job as a financial
analyst and his love of jazz music. They both fumbled over their most recent
failed relationships. As it turned out, both had been the victims of cheating
spouses. This seemed to bring them closer together as they discussed the hurt
they had experienced.
As John spoke,
Meredith was drawn continually to his eyes. They were intelligent and sincere.
There was no way this man she was speaking to could get away with not telling
the truth. His eyes were transparent windows into his psyche.
As they spoke
through the main course and a shared dessert, their hands moved closer together
on the table. When they finally touched, Meredith found herself holding hands
with this man she just met. The electricity was undeniable. She saw, from his
eyes, that he felt it too. She felt a stirring in parts of her body that had
been dormant since the divorce. She promised herself that this date would just
be dinner, but that promise appeared to be in serious jeopardy. Of course, she
began to rationalize, even though this was the first in-person date, she and
John had been communicating for weeks. It wasn’t as if this was a blind date.
As they walked
out of the restaurant toward her car, she could tell John was conflicted
between being a gentleman and acting upon what he felt. She made it easier for
him by embracing him and giving him a kiss that communicated the hunger she
felt. Before she knew it, John was in her car and she was driving toward her
apartment. The walls she had erected were crumbling.
Meredith led
John to her bedroom. She hurriedly put her keys and phone on the nightstand,
and they began their night of passion. Meredith had forgotten how good she
could feel in the arms of a man. Even though it had only been a short time
since the divorce, the time from when she had been intimate with a man was much
longer. The marriage had ended long before the divorce.
In the
afterglow, she lay in John’s arms feeling safe and happier than she had been in
a while. As she looked at his face, she saw that he felt the same. They slept
briefly, but John awoke to use the restroom and Meredith put on some clothes
while he was gone.
He came back
from the bathroom wearing his boxers and shirt.
“I feel awful
about this,” he said. “I have an important meeting tomorrow and I need to get
back to my car.”
“I
understand,” Meredith said with sincerity.
“It’s just…I
don’t want you to think this was a one-night thing. I didn’t expect…I knew I
had this meeting and I thought it would just be dinner…I mean.”
“No need to
explain,” Meredith said. “I thought the same thing. I will bring you back to
your car. You focus on your meeting and we’ll talk about where this goes next.
I enjoyed the evening very much.”
“I did too.
Listen, I’ll get an Uber. There’s no reason for you to go out again.”
“Okay. It’s no
trouble, though.”
“I’m fine with
an Uber. I’d feel better if you’re not out driving alone at this time of
night.”
Meredith
appreciated the chivalry of this man. His Uber came within ten minutes and she
thought about all the wonderful things she felt as she drifted off to sleep.
She slept dreamlessly until her alarm cruelly work her up. As she looked at the
clock on her nightstand, she realized that it was only 6 AM. Her alarm was set
for 6:45. It was her phone that was ringing. The number belonged to her
coworker and office mate Marian.
“Hello,”
Meredith said groggily.
“Meredith. I’m
sorry to bother you, but I figured, well…you better look at your email from
work.”
“Why? What is
it?”
“Just look at
it. It’s better if you see if first.”
Meredith took
her phone away from her ear and switched to her email app. She saw nothing out
of the ordinary except for an email from Kongo-Match that went to her work
email address. That was strange. She never provided this address when filling
out her profile. She clicked on the message:
It looks like someone from your company has been enjoying
their companion that they found through Kongo-Match.
There was a
link to what turned out to be a video.
It was dimly
lit at first, but then she realized, in horror, what she was looking at. The
perspective was from the nightstand in her room. The dimly lit figures in the
video were naked and they were passionately engaged on her bed. She then
realized that it was her own body underneath that of John. It was a video of
their night together. She quickly closed the video and, in the CC: field of the
email, she saw that everyone in her company, over 150 people, had received the
email with the video link. She put the phone back to her ear.
“I don’t know
where this came from, Marian and I certainly don’t know how it was sent to
everyone. I didn’t intentionally record this video.”
“Well, I
thought I better warn you. Otherwise it would have been uncomfortable coming
into work and getting blindsided.”
As Marian
finished her thought, another call came in. It was John. She reluctantly told
Marian she’d call her back and answered the call.
The March 29th release of my book, kongo.com is getting closer. It’s a bit different than your typical novel or short story collection. It is comprised of four related novellas that each tell a distinct story about a behemoth corporation, kongo.com.
It’s no secret that online organizations are part of our everyday life. The company portrayed in this book takes what we know today to the next level.
It takes place in a not to distant, potential future. The stories in this book are all based on the possible evolution of existing technology – nanotechnology, artificial intelligence and our obsession with our devices.
Leading up to the release, I’m going to tell you a bit about each novella. Three of the four were previously published on my blog as serials. these three have been enhanced and modified. The fourth story is brand new and is meant to tie the previous three stories together.
I look forward to your reaction to these excerpts. In this next story, I’m going to introduce you to Rachel and her husband Ben who, after much trying, have finally been told they’re expecting a child. At the same time, Rachel is diagnosed with a highly aggressive cancer. The story balances the choices she makes about her treatment with elements of artificial intelligence and suspense that, again, relate back to kongo.com.
Please enjoy this excerpt from the novella, Memories of Rachel, part of my kongo.com collection. (now available for pre-order)
Memories of Rachel
It had been four months since Rachel died. It was a long, slow period where Ben watched her go from being a vibrant, athletic woman to a frail shell with skin barely covering bones. The onset of the cancer had been sudden and aggressive. She lasted for seven months. She might have survived if she had allowed treatment, but treatment would have killed the baby. Beautiful baby Erin would never have entered this world if her self-sacrificing mom had not refused aggressive chemotherapy.
Ben agonized
over his wife’s decision. He assured her they could have more children if she
would just save herself. He remembered the conversation.
“Please. Go through
the treatment. You can get pregnant again,” Ben pleaded. “I…I just can’t live
without you.”
“The treatment
will kill the baby. I just can’t do that. Parents are supposed to protect their
children. Besides, there’s a good chance the treatment will do so much damage
to my body that I won’t be able to get pregnant again. You heard the doctor.”
Rachel had a
roller coaster of a month. It ranged from the happiest day of her life, the day
she found out that, after three years of trying, she was finally pregnant.
Then, four weeks later, eight weeks into her pregnancy, what should have been a
joyous day turned out to be one of unimaginable confusion and chaos. It was at
the appointment for her first sonogram that the technician noticed something
unusual. It turned out to be a shadow on the screen. The doctor was called into
the room and he saved several views of the image and scurried off to his
office.
They had done
their best not to alarm Ben and Rachel, but the technician and doctor could not
totally mask their concern. Once Rachel had dressed, she and Ben insisted on
talking to the doctor. After he completed his phone call, which Rachel assumed
was about her, he ushered the couple into his office.
“First,” the
doctor began. “I want to assure you that the baby is right where it should be
at this point in your pregnancy.”
Rachel was
never one for the sandwich approach to delivering bad news. She liked to hear
and evaluate what she was dealing with upfront.
“I hear a big
‘but’ coming, doctor,” she said with impatience, “What are you not telling me?”
“We saw
something on the sonogram. I’m not 100% sure what it might be. I’m consulting
with a colleague and we think…”
“What kind of
colleague?” Ben said, cutting off the doctor.
“Well, it’s an
oncologist.”
“Oncologist?”
Rachel asked, stunned.
“Just a
precaution,” the doctor said. “He’s right in the same medical plaza and he
wants to see you today so we can see what we’re dealing with. You can go right
over.”
Ben and Rachel
went from the obstetrician directly to the oncologist.
Talk about the circle of life,
Ben thought to himself once they viewed the patients in various form of decay
in the waiting room.
“Ben, I’m
scared,” Rachel said.
This was the
first time Ben’s could ever remember his confident wife admitting to being
scared. He would find out, over the next seven months, it wouldn’t be the last.
Not by a long shot.
“Let’s hear
what the doctor has to say first, before we jump to conclusions.”
That was Ben’s
response. He was trying to convince himself as much as he was trying to comfort
his wife. Even though he was feigning calm, his heart was performing
Olympic-quality gymnastics in his chest. Rachel was his rock. She was his North
Star. He wasn’t sure how he would deal with any bad news about their future.
Once the
receptionist took their names, they barely settled into the molded plastic
chairs when her name was called to go back and see the doctor ahead of those
that were waiting much longer.
There was no
sitting in an exam room. Rachel and Ben were directed immediately to Dr.
Kaplan’s office. The décor in his office was sparse. It didn’t have the usual
motivational or cheerful pictures or mementos. It was almost sterile with only
his diplomas and hospital affiliations on display. He was a man who was likely in
his 50s but looked like he was in his 60s. Ben imagined that Kaplan’s job was a
stressful one where delivering bad news far outweighed the positive.
Kaplan settled
into his well-worn chair behind his sparse desk. He turned the large computer
monitor so that Ben and Rachel could see it. Ben wondered what they were going
to see. He didn’t realize at the time that it would change their lives forever.
“As you were
having your sonogram, the technician noticed a…um, an anomaly.”
“What kind of
anomaly?” Rachel asked.
“Well, it was
a mass. It appears to be attached to your liver.”
“So, what do
we do to treat it?” Ben asked anxiously.
“We have a few
options. We need to assess the tumor and, if it’s cancerous, how advanced it is
and if it’s spread to other areas of the body,” Doctor Kaplan explained. “Then,
we can discuss treatment options.”
“What about
the baby?” Rachel asked.
“The baby, um,
yes. Your pregnancy is only about eight weeks in. The surgery and the resulting
treatment would likely cause you to abort spontaneously.”
“Abort
spontaneously? You mean a miscarriage?” Rachel asked.
“Well, yes.
That is the common term for it.”
“But she will
be able to get pregnant again, right?” Ben asked.
The doctor
leaned back in his chair and laced his fingers behind his head which caused his
brow to furrow. He was silent for a moment and then seemed to carefully weigh
his next words.
“There are
still many aspects of this that we can’t be sure about. The tumor could be
benign and might just need to be removed. If it is cancerous, it may not have
metastasized to other parts of Rachel’s body. If it has, the treatment might be
fairly aggressive and could damage the uterus and ovaries making pregnancy
difficult if not unlikely. This is all conjecture, however. I don’t want to scare
you into drastic action but, with that said, we need to move quickly to rule
out those worst-case scenarios.”
As it turned out, all the worst-case scenarios were confirmed. Rachel had cancerous tumors, not only her liver, but in her lungs and there was evidence that it had metastasized in her brain. She and Ben were devastated. The most aggressive treatment would possibly prolong her life, but not cure her. It would also end the life of their unborn child. This was not acceptable to Rachel. This drove her to the decision to forego treatment and concentrate on delivering a healthy baby. She more than exceeded this goal.
kongo.com is now available for pre-order on Amazon.com by clicking HERE.
I am very excited about the upcoming release of my book, kongo.com. It’s a bit different than your typical novel or short story collection. It is comprised of four related novellas that each tell a distinct story about a behemoth corporation, kongo.com.
It’s no secret that online organizations are part of our everyday life. The company portrayed in this book takes what we know today to the next level.
It takes place in a not to distant, potential future. The stories in this book are all based on the possible evolution of existing technology – nanotechnology, artificial intelligence and our obsession with our devices.
Over the next couple of weeks, leading up to the release, I’m going to tell you a bit about each novella. Three of the four were previously published on my blog as serials. these three have been enhanced and modified. The fourth story is brand new and is meant to tie the previous three stories together.
I look forward to your reaction to these excerpts. This first week, I’m going to introduce you to Joyce and her quest for fitness and the ideal body in the story No Pain, No Gain.
No Pain No Gain – An Excerpt
Joyce loved her stylish new personal fitness device. She had saved up for the latest Buff Cuff. It was not cheap, but the girls in the office all had them. Most had received them as gifts from their boyfriends or husbands. Joyce didn’t have either of these, so she had to buy one for herself, but that was okay. If it worked as advertised, she would have a boyfriend or husband soon.
Joyce had
tried everything to lose weight. Diets, exercise and pills had not worked. She investigated
bariatric surgery and was not a candidate. She was about 35-40 pounds
overweight which was below the threshold for which insurance would pay for the
surgery. She even considered gaining enough weight to qualify for the surgery,
but that seemed self-destructive, especially with her borderline hypertension
and diabetes.
Her doctor had
sent her to a nutritionist, but nothing seemed to help. Then she saw an
infomercial for the Buff Cuff. Its technology was cutting edge and the spots
featured numerous testimonials, some from women just like Joyce, touting the
product and its life-changing benefits.
When Joyce saw
the price, about what she made in a month, she hesitated. These infomercials
could be biased and misleading and, when weighing the priority of rent, her POS
car and utilities, the Buff Cuff seemed like a reckless purchase. Then her
coworkers started raving about the ones they received and started talking about
and showing their results.
Marcy, who seemed
to be perpetually pregnant, received a Buff Cuff as a present from her husband.
At first, she was angry with him taking it as a message that he thought she was
fat. After she started using it, however, her baby weight began to drop off
almost instantly. She was thinner and more fit than anyone in the office had
ever seen her. Her energy level improved as did the quality of her work.
Then Jennifer,
the leading office donut and cake consumer, started noticeably trimming down
when her husband gave her a Buff Cuff for her birthday. Her eating habits
changed, and she started working out at the gym at the end of each day.
This was when
Joyce realized that this fitness gadget was not an anomaly. There was something
there. She resolved to save up enough to purchase one. It was now six months
later, and she had scraped together the funds she needed. She sat in front of
her computer looking at the latest models. She had just enough for generation
4.0. This was the latest and the manufacturer, Kongo-Fit, a subsidiary of the
giant retail mail order conglomerate, kongo.com.
The device
touted the usual fitness gadget technology. It could monitor heart rate and
count the number of steps for its wearer. Somehow, through patented technology
that was rushed through government approval, this device could also monitor oxygen
levels, blood sugar and blood pressure all in one device. It was equipped with
an array of sensors that used ‘super-secret’ technology (in the company’s
words) to ‘help you with your fitness journey’. As a result, it was being
prescribed for patients by medical professionals at a staggering rate.
Insurance companies were scratching their collective heads as they pondered
whether to pay anything toward this device.
Joyce counted
down the minutes on Friday afternoon. Her package from Kongo was due to be
delivered today and would likely be waiting for her when she got home. The
office, an accounting and financial advisory firm, was quiet on this Friday
afternoon at the end of summer and that made the time pass much more slowly.
While she waited, Joyce reached into her desk and pulled out a dark chocolate
bar that she had been saving for this day. She unwrapped it and savored it as
she acknowledged to herself that this would be the last one until she reached
her weight and fitness goals.
Mercifully,
she found some work that took her to five o’clock. When that magic hour arrived,
she nearly sprinted from her desk, as close as she could get to sprinting,
anyway. She got into her ancient Chevy Cruze. It was nine years old with over
120,000 miles on it. She opened the door and could still smell the fast-food
from lunch. In anticipation of receiving her Buff Cuff, she had done somewhat
of a farewell tour this week consuming all her guilty pleasure foods. She truly
believed that this small piece of electronics was going to deliver her from her
life of obesity and bad habits. She didn’t want to be delivered without saying
goodbye to her old friends like tacos, French fries, milkshakes, and cupcakes.
The debris in the back seat confirmed her venture into each of these favorite food
groups.
Joyce battled
the traffic as she on her way home. She pulled into a space near her apartment
building and went out to the community mailbox. As she unlocked the one for her
unit, her hand was shaking. She internally scolded herself for being so excited
about receiving this gadget, but she couldn’t help it. Finally, she wrestled
the key into the lock and opened the small door to her mail slot. It was empty.
Not only was the Buff Cuff absent, but there was no mail at all despite it
being nearly 6 PM.
There was a
precedent for this. Her mail delivery person was a woman who was in her late
60s or early 70s. She sometimes fell behind on her route if there were several
medium to large packages to be delivered. Today must have been one of those
days. Joyce wasn’t sure what to do. She guessed she would go up to her
apartment and change and come back and check the mail later.
Just as she
was about to do so, she saw the mail delivery woman’s battered white jeep
pulling into the parking lot. There were three community boxes in this lot for
each of the three buildings that surrounded the cars belonging to their
occupants.
She watched as
the woman moved at the pace of a three-toed sloth as she carefully put bundles
of mail in the slots in box one. Next would be box two and then, finally, box
three, where Joyce’s mail was assigned. Joyce thought about returning in 15
minutes or so, but just knowing that her Buff Cuff was on the verge of being
delivered and was in this civil servant’s hands, she wanted to supervise the
process.
After what
seemed like days, the woman navigated the jeep toward box three. She gathered
her bundles of mail and opened the rear of the box to place them in the
individual slots. In anticipation, Joyce opened her slot. Immediately, the woman
stopped her task and looked at Joyce over the top of her thick bifocals.
“Miss, I can’t
deliver the mail with a slot open. That’s against regulations.”
“It’s my
slot.”
“That doesn’t
matter. Please close it so I can continue.”
Joyce let out
a frustrated sigh and closed the small door to the slot. Finally, the woman
finished placing mail and Joyce reopened it. There were a couple of envelopes
and a small parcel in a bubble wrapped sleeve. The return address had the
Kongo-Fit logo. As she pulled it out of the slot, she was a bit underwhelmed at
the packaging and the size and weight. She held in her hands nearly a month of
her salary. It seemed like it should be bigger or at least weightier.
She was out of
breath as she climbed the stairs of building 23 to her second floor 1-bedroom
apartment. She had that same shakiness in her hands when she opened the door.
She wondered to herself, was she putting too much faith in this small package?
Would it change her life? Then she thought of Marcy and Jennifer. It had
certainly worked for them.
Joyce
carefully opened the package. There it was. Her very own Buff Cuff. It came
with the standard black band. She would have to save up to buy other colors. She
opened the molded plastic packaging and carefully set her new purchase on the
table. The instruction booklet was amazingly small, but there was a
comprehensive web site and social media community around the device. She had
already feverishly read the areas that were accessible to the public prior to
being a registered purchaser.
As soon as she
opened it, she realized the instruction booklet was essentially a quick start
guide. It had three steps to complete before she could put it on her wrist. She
pulled the plastic tab from the back of the unit that covered the sensor array
and separated the battery from the device. As she did this, the face of the
Buff Cuff came to life. It read, “Hello Joyce. Have a great day!”. She was a
bit surprised by this, but she had used her name when she purchased the device
on line and remembered checking the box that said it was for her own personal
use. The next step was to put the device on her wrist. It instructed her to put
it on the wrist of her dominant hand, which in Joyce’s case was her left. She
felt a slight vibration as the device seemed to mold to her wrist as she
fastened it.
The next step
was to register the device. She brought up the Buff Cuff site and entered the
serial number as instructed. As she did this, it brought up her name and
address. There were several fields she was asked to enter to complete each
screen. As she entered height, weight, desired goal weight and blood type, she
felt the device vibrate a few more times. As she saved her information, she
felt a slight pinch under the face of the Buff Cuff. She supposed that was
normal. It vibrated again and showed readings on the face. Her respiration was
20 breaths per minute – high end of normal. Here blood pressure – 130 over 85,
a bit high. Her blood glucose level – 150 – too high for someone who hadn’t
eaten since lunch, but she did have the chocolate bar. The reading made sense.
Now that her
Buff Cuff was on her wrist, the sensation was a bit anti-climactic. She didn’t
feel different and she still had laundry to do. She would get on the web after
she started her clothes in the wash. Joyce gathered up her dark clothes and
walked down the stairs and to the apartment complex’s laundry room. She put the
clothes and detergent in the washing machine and pulled some quarters out of
the little canvas bag where she collected them for this purpose, put them in
the slot and started the machine.
Joyce walked
back to her apartment feeling much the same as she did before she received her new
purchase. She was a bit depressed. She was out a month’s salary and didn’t feel
inspired to do anything. She got back to her apartment and went directly to the
freezer for a carton of Ben and Jerry’s peanut butter cup ice cream. She took
it over to her computer with the intention of looking up more information on
her new acquisition and, possibly, investigating how to return it for a refund.
When she sat
down, she saw a message on the computer display screen that must have come up while
she was putting in her laundry in. It said, ‘ACTIVATE FINAL CONFIGURATION (Y/N)’.
Joyce looked at the message and felt a sudden feeling of relief. She eagerly
keyed in a ‘Y’ and checked the box saying she accepted the terms and conditions
without actually reading them. She then clicked continue. The browser refreshed
with a congratulatory message and she felt a slightly sharper pinch under the
face of the Buff Cuff. It was very brief, but she felt a slight electrical
current emanating from the device, down her left arm and into her body. It was
gone as quickly as it happened.
Joyce clicked
on the home page and started to read about her device’s capabilities as she
took a generous spoonful of ice cream from the carton. She absently spooned the
frozen treat into her mouth and began to savor the flavor. Suddenly, she began
to gag and spit the ice cream out. It tasted horrible. It was a mixture of a
creamy and vinegary taste that was rancid in her mouth. She dropped her spoon
on the floor and looked at the carton. The ice cream looked fine. She checked
the expiration date and it was still months away. She had already eaten a third
of this carton last night and it tasted fine then. She looked at it again and
then sniffed it. It smelled as bad as it tasted.
Joyce dumped
the ice cream in the sink, rinsed out the carton and threw it in the trash. She
still had the horrible taste in her mouth. She grabbed her last 20-ounce bottle
of cola from the fridge. She was going to switch to diet or some other
low-calorie drink but had this one bottle of regular soda left. She quickly
twisted off the top and took a large mouthful from the bottle. She immediately
spit it into the sink. It tasted like a mouthful of vinegar to her.
She grabbed a
glass from the cabinet and filled it with cold water from the fridge door.
Water was the last resort. She hated the taste of it but needed something safe
to rinse the taste from her mouth. As she swirled the water around in her
mouth, she was shocked by the taste. It was the best tasting, most refreshing
drink she ever experienced. She quickly drank the rest and filled the glass two
more times. The taste was gone from her mouth. In fact, she felt like she had
just brushed her teeth. The aftertaste of the water was wonderful.
Joyce needed
to eat something. She opened her cupboard and saw that there was a can of green
beans in the back. For some reason, the picture of the beans on the label made
her mouth water. She opened the can, poured the beans into a bowl and put them
in the microwave for 30 seconds. When they were done, she wolfed them down with
a spoon and followed them with three more glasses of water. She felt more
satisfied from this small meal than she had from anything she’d eaten in recent
memory.
By this time,
Joyce needed to transfer her laundry to the dryer. She changed into sweat pants
and a t-shirt. For some reason, instead of her usual flip-flops, she put on
socks and laced on her rarely used sneakers. She grabbed a load of white
clothes and trotted down to the laundry room. After she transferred the clothes
and put in the new load, she suddenly felt the urge to run. Joyce had never
been a runner, but for some reason that was all she had the desire to do at
this moment. She left the laundry room and ran around the perimeter of the
apartment complex three times. The distance was at least a mile, which was about
a mile farther than Joyce had ever run continuously in her life.
She was
physically exhausted but exhilarated at the same time. It was a feeling she had
not experienced before. She finished her laundry and returned to her apartment
feeling energized, yet tired. She took off her sweaty clothes and padded into
the shower. She let the hot water soothe her muscles which had been shocked by
their sudden use. She put on pajamas, crawled into bed and entered the deepest,
most restful sleep she had felt in a very long time.
The next
morning, Saturday, Joyce awoke feeling a bit sore, but energized. She needed to
get some groceries. She got dressed and went to the supermarket. As she cruised
up and down the aisles, she gradually filled her cart. By the time she got to
the checkout, she didn’t recognize what she was about to purchase. The cart was
filled with organic fresh fruits and vegetables, yogurts and whole grain
concoctions. These were things Joyce had never purchased, yet somehow, she had
grabbed them from the shelves as if she had made a stringent list of healthy
foods. The funny thing was, everything looked delicious to her.
She brought
her purchases home and put them away. After a breakfast of yogurt mixed with
granola and a banana, she had the urge to take another run. She got dressed and
did another set of laps around the complex. Once again, she felt great.
This behavior
continued for the next week. Joyce was getting up early to run. She was packing
herself a healthy lunch for work and making sensible meals for dinner. It felt
like this lifestyle change required no effort on her part. She had a wonderful
week. When she shared her new-found energy with her co-workers, they agreed
that they had felt the same thing once they activated their Buff Cuff. The
device was truly a miracle.
On the
Saturday, one week following her purchase, Joyce bounced out of bed and headed
for the scale. She had not weighed herself the entire week. She wanted to see
if this drastic change in her lifestyle would have an impact after a week. She
wanted to see a three or four-pound difference in her weight. She was
astonished to see that she was eleven ponds lighter. She checked the scale and
stood on it three times to be sure.
Joyce showered. Her plan was to clean out her apartment today. She had been putting it off, but today she felt like she had the energy and desire to do it. As she dried herself off and got dressed, she thought about where to start. She looked in the mirror trying to spot a difference in herself. As she ran a brush through her hair, the first large clump of hair fell out.
kongo.com is now available for pre-order on Amazon.com by clicking HERE.
As a reader, my fascination with time travel began as a child. When I first read The Time Machine by H.G. Wells, I was enthralled by the idea of travelling either backward or forward in time.
Traveling backward could allow one to catch glimpses of historical events or important figures. You could go back and wander among dinosaurs. Similarly, traveling forward gives a view of the development of man, technology and the future of our planet.
As I sat down to write my book, Extra Innings, I was fascinated by the different views of time travel that have been used in fiction. This post will discuss those various theories and I’ll give you a view of my thought process in landing on one.
Here are some of the theories that have been presented in fiction:
Precognition – This is the idea of seeing the future during dreams or through the feeling of déjà vu.
Time Loops – If you’ve watched the movie, Ground Hog Day, you’ve seen this time travel plot device in action. Usually the events time loop repeat until the character or characters perform a certain action to end the loop and move forward.
Time Paradox – If you watched Back to the Future, when Marty McFly went back in time and nearly prevented his parents from getting together for the high school dance, you’ve experienced this time travel device.
Time Tourism – Just like it sounds, when time travelers travel through time to witness historical events as a spectator, this is time tourism.
Time War – This is the use of time travel to conduct war over time using time travel. It could involve going back in time to change events leading up to a pivotal battle or trying to bring about a reset of events that didn’t play out as planned.
Changing the past – This is the notion of time travel that I used in my book, Extra Innings. The idea of changing the past is logically contradictory. Even though the consensus today is that the past cannot be changed, science fiction writers have used the idea of changing the past for good story effect. Stephen King used this method of time travel effectively in his book, 11/22/63, by having his main character, Jake Epping, attempt to go back in time to prevent the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Though ultimately successful, when Epping returns to the present, he discovers that his actions have had unintended consequences.
If you enjoy time travel and the possibility of going back in time to right wrongs and do things differently if given a chance, follow the adventures of Joe McLean in my latest novel, Extra Innings.
Joe McLean hates his life. A lonely, divorced, middle-aged man, stuck in a cramped apartment, the only bright spot in Joe’s life is cheering on his hometown baseball team.
Now, the local stadium, the place of many childhood and adult memories is being replaced. Joe desperately wants a piece of this iconic venue to preserve his memories and have some memorabilia from his happier past.
That’s when unusual things begin to happen, and Joe begins to rethink the direction his life has taken. Can Joe take a different path in life?
Can he use the special ability that he has acquired to change the course of his life? Will he realize the truth about old adage, you can never go home again? Follow the twists and turns in this supernatural story, Extra Innings, to find out.
When I started writing my latest release, Extra Innings, it was as a weekly serial published on my author blog. When it began, I wanted it to be a mix of baseball nostalgia mixed with my usual crime fiction genre.
As I began fleshing out the character of Joe McLean, something became very apparent. he was a character worth exploring. He was a 40-something-year-old divorced man who was stuck in the drudgery of working in a family business. Because he was not a member of the family, he would never be promoted above the level he had achieved after more than 20 years.
He went through a sad divorce from a childless marriage and still pined for the woman he loved and lost. His only constant was attending baseball games and rooting for his hometown team in the WWII era stadium that was such a big part of his youth. Now, with the stadium set to be demolished and replaced with a new corporate cookie-cutter version, Joe’s depression began to set in.
As he examined that depression, he came to the realization that the stadium was only part of it. He had a dead-end job, a lonely life and had lost both of his parents to untimely, preventable events.
This was when the question arose in my mind: If you could go back and change things in your past to make your future more desirable, would you? That’s when the idea of time travel crept in and I found myself branching off into a new genre.
Now, I have to explain that the supernatural/paranormal/horror genre family is something that I enjoy reading as much as my beloved crime fiction. I’m an avid reader of Stephen King (along with both of his sons) and, to some extent, Dean Koontz. I just was afraid that, as an author, if I deviated from the genre I was known for, it might end up alienating readers.
The beauty of indie publishing combined with having a blog is that I could first test the waters through the vehicle of my weekly serial and then, if the reaction was positive, turn the serial into a full-fledged book in a new genre without securing any approval but my own.
That brings me to today and the release of Extra Innings. I used more beta readers than usual for this book, and the reaction has been positive. In addition, pre-orders were up over some of my previous books. I take that as an encouraging sign.
Here is a blurb from the back cover:
Joe McLean hates his life. A lonely, divorced, middle-aged man, stuck in a cramped apartment, the only bright spot in Joe’s life is cheering on his hometown baseball team.
Now, the local stadium, the place of many childhood and adult memories is being replaced. Joe desperately wants a piece of this iconic venue to preserve his memories and have some memorabilia from his happier past.
That’s when unusual things begin to happen, and Joe begins to rethink the direction his life has taken. Can Joe take a different path in life? Can he use the special ability that he has acquired to change the course of his life? Will he realize the truth about old adage, you can never go home again?
Follow the twists and turns in this supernatural story, Extra Innings, to find out.
The book is now available for purchase on Amazon.com at this link if you’re interested.
About Don Massenzio:
Don was born in Syracuse, New York to first generation Italian American parents. He’s an avid reader. Some of his favorite authors are Harlan Coben, David Morrell, Stephen King, Jonathan Kellerman, John Grisham, and Hugh Howey. His favorite book of all time is To Kill a Mockingbird.
Don started writing as a way to combat the long hours of travel and numerous hotel stays that are part of the ‘glamorous’ world of corporate life. He uses writing as a therapeutic outlet to combat my homesickness.
His first published book was Frankly Speaking. It was the first in a series of books focused on the character, Frank Rozzani, a Florida private detective. The series is a throwback to the days of pulp detective novels with a tip of the hat to Jim Rockford from the 70’s television show, The Rockford Files. He’s also released a collection of short stories calledRandom Tales that is available for your Kindle or in paperback.
Ever since I was a kid in Upstate New York, the magic of going to a baseball game was something I’ll never forget. We had a AAA team in our town and they were the farm club of the New York Yankees. The post World War II stadium was small and quaint. It was also a bit rundown.
I remember opening days when snow had to be plowed from the tarp so the game could take place. I also remember humid summer nights where the mosquitoes were so dense, you had to brush them away from your face.
When I set out to write Extra Innings, I wanted to capture the feeling of that magic, but add another element to the story. What emerged is a story of a sad man, Joe McLean, who’s trying to capture some of his youthful memories as his beloved baseball stadium is being demolished to make way for a new one.
He buys a piece of memorabilia and receives more than he bargained for. He then sets off on a journey, using his newfound power, to change his life and undo some of the mistakes he made in his past.
The results are surprising.
Please enjoy Chapter 1 of my new book, Extra Innings. If you enjoy it, you can purchase a copy by clicking HERE.
Extra Innings – Chapter 1
Triple–A baseball is just one step below the majors. For Joe McLean and his family, being fans of the Langerton Chiefs was a legacy passed down through multiple generations.
Langerton is located ina no-man’s land part of Pennsylvania that forms a small barrier between Western New York and Eastern Ohio and butts up against Lake Erie.
Langerton’s sports scene consists of baseball during the all-too brief Spring, Summer, and Fall along with minor league hockey during the seemingly endless winter. Hockey was a great diversion in the winter, but it was baseball that added a special magic to the brief period of warm summer nights.
The Langerton Chiefs had a long history going back to the 1940s. The United States was hungry for normalcy after the horrors of World War II. The wholesomeness and pure sensibilities of the American spirit that baseball offered were just the cohesive forces the country needed to pull itself together.
The minor league system for baseball, with its A, AA, and AAA teams, gave fans an outlet for inexpensive entertainment that showcased talented players before their potential ascent to the Major League. Many of the stars of the AAA Chiefs went on to be well-known players. Also, players on the mend or those looking for a comeback, often made appearances in minor league parks to sharpen their skills with the farm team before, hopefully, heading back to their major league clubs.
The parent clubs of these teams tended to shift from time to time. Joe McLean remembered, with great fondness, the days when the Chiefs were a New York Yankees farm club. The Yanks would come to Langerton each year for an exhibition game. Joe and his brother, Mike, had stood in line for autographs from greats like Don Mattingly, Dave Winfield and other stars of the 80’s and 90’s. Joe’s dad had a baseball card for Thurman Munson that had the late, great catcher’s signature.
Now, as Joe passed into middle-age, the Langerton city council had voted to tear down the old Maxwell Stadium and replace it with one of those brand-new but old-fashioned venues that had become popular when the Baltimore Orioles built Oriole Park at Camden Yards in 1992. Joe was not happy with this development.
“I can’t believe they’re going to tear the old place down,” Joe said to his brother Mike as they downed a huge breakfast at the Little Star Diner.
“It’s just progress. Maxwell is a dump.”
“A dump? It’s the place where we saw some great players and some great games. How can you call it a dump?”
“Yeah. We did have some great times there back when the Yanks were our team instead of the Blue Jays. They’re not even an American team.”
“How many Americans make up a team these days, anyway?” Joe half-joked. “You’re right. Most American kids play soccer now. I don’t understand a game where, after three hours, there’s no score,” Mike said.
“Sounds a lot like baseball?”
It was different though, the brothers agreed. A scoreless baseball game was a nerve-wracking event where, with each pitch, a million different outcomes were possible and strategic decisions could turn the momentum in a game. Both McLean brothers believed this to be true.
“I’m going to miss those old metal and wood seats. Something about that place made me feel at home,” Joe said.
“The new place will be fine. It’s the game that counts, not where it’s played.”
“I know, but still, the ambiance is going to be missed.”
“Ambiance? Look at you Mr. Fancy College Boy. If you miss it so much, why don’t you go grab some pieces of the stadium and put them in your apartment?”
Mike was the older brother by eight years. He was approaching fifty, but looked older. He had a husky build with a strong upper body balanced out by a substantial beer gut. His grey curly hair topped a roundish head with an Irishman’s ruddy complexion. He was taller and wider than his younger brother, but they had the same piercing blue eyes inherited from their mother. Mike went to work in the local auto plant right out high-school. Joe had gone to college and was now a CPA.
Joe was silent.
“I don’t like that look, little brother. I was joking, but your face says you didn’t get the joke.”
“Well, what are they going to do with the seats and the signs?”
“Trash them. After they salvage what they want, they’ll come in with dozers and backhoes and tear the place down, load it in dump trucks, and haul it away.”
“So what’s the harm in taking a seat or some signs if they’re going to just dump them?”
“There’s no harm if you don’t mind the breaking and entering or the theft charges that go along withyour plan.”
“Listen to you. You always had a drawer full of candy bars and cigarettes in our room when we were kids. Did you pay for those? Besides, I was going to ask if I could take something, or even buy it.”
“Hey, we were kids back then and, even though Mom and Dad dragged us to church every Sunday, I didn’t know any better.”
Joe smiled at his brother’s comment. He remembered those Sundays when Father McDougal would give a homily filled with parables about the evils of money and material goods. This was always followed by the passing of the basket so that the church could collect some of that evil money.
“I’ll call the team office and see who I need to talk to. You never know, they might just let me take some stuff,” Joe said.
“Well good luck with that. I’ll be looking forward to those padded box seats in the new Price Choice Stadium.”
The stadium was to be named for a grocery store chain owned by Lackawanna Specialty Services, a holding company with rumored ties to the mob in Western New York. LSS owned the land that the stadium was on and
decided to name the stadium after its discount grocery store chain and obliterate Maxwell name that the stadium carried for nearly 70 years honoring a World War II hero from the area.
“I’ll be there too, but I sure will miss old Maxwell with its leaky roof and smoky field.”
The concession stands that sold burgers, hot dogs, and other grilled items were close to the field at the third base side. When the wind swirled off of Lake Erie, it often took the smoke from the old-fashioned grills and covered the field in a thick, wonderful smelling, carcinogenic haze.
The brothers finished their breakfast and went their separate ways. Mike, to one of the few remaining auto parts manufacturers in the northeast, and Joe, to the accounting firm of Romano, Provenza and Bianchi. The brothers got together for breakfast every Tuesday morning and had done so every week of their adult lives barring sickness, vacation and holidays. The Little Star, a 55 year-old greasy spoon was always their destination.
Joe pulled into his firm’s parking lot. The building that housed R, P, & B was a circa 1960 cinder block box with plate glass windows. Joe had worked here for 20 years. He was a hard worker and would have made partner in any other firm by now. Nepotism and the lack of an Italian last
name, however, kept that from happening in this firm. He was content. He lacked the drive and the nerve to strike out on his own. R, P,& B was the only accounting firm in town and virtually every business and many individuals in Langerton made up their client base. Joe walked past the offices along the wall to his half-walled cubicle.
“Hey Joe.”
It was Johnny Provenza III, one of the new junior partners that was just one year out of college and the son of one of the partners.
“Good morning, John.”
“How about those Steelers last night?”
“I missed it. The Yankees were playing the Red Sox in the ALCS last night.”
“Baseball. What a snooze fest. Does anybody watch that anymore?”
“I still do,” Joe said feeling his age more than ever.
“Oh yeah, of course. By the way Joe, do you have the Healthway numbers for me yet? Dad’s been asking for them.”
“I’m just checking some last minute figures and should have it to you by the end of today.”
John noticed others in the firm beginning to watch the exchange between him and Joe.
“See that you do, Joe. I won’t tolerate missing a deadline,” the young Provenza said in a voice that had doubled in volume.
Healthway was one of the accounts that Johnny had been handed when he joined the firm as a junior partner. It was a lucrative medium-sized account with minimal complexity, but was way above Johnny’s abilities. Joe had offered to help and found the account totally dumped on him. He was doing all the work and would receive none of the credit. He wondered if John Provenza II. knew the work was not being done by his son. Joe would never tell. He just did his job without passion day after day. He was content. His only passion these days was baseball.
Baseball was anobsessionthat led to Joe tracking every statistic of every player on the Langerton team as well as the Yankees. He went to every Chiefs home game and weekend away games when they were within a three hour drive. It the game was more than three hours away, he was at home glued to the radio with a baseball score book recording every pitch, swing, score and out. And now, they were tearing down old Maxwell Stadium. The place where so many of his memories were made. He needed to get a piece of those memories for himself before they hauled everything away, but how?
Joe put it out of his mind. He had the Healthway numbers to finish and he had to focus and set aside his childish notions. He didn’t think about it again until lunch time.
Fantasy Authors Unplugged is back and I hope there will be more posts for the feature soon. Today, fellow Story Empire contributor, C. S. Boyack pays a visit with his latest book, The Hat, in the spotlight. I’m pleased to have Craig back today…
Thanks for having me over again, P. H. It’s been a while now.
You’ve written a wide range of books from anthologies to novels. How do you approach a story and decide what the length will be?
I have a hard time with this one. Like most authors, I started out writing tomes that were huge. As I learned to me more efficient with my words, I often have a hard time making word count these days.
I still want specific projects at certain parameters though. The Hat was designed to be a novella, because there is a market I want to approach. I would have liked another 5000 words or so, but I don’t want it to bog down at all. The format doesn’t allow for a lot of navel gazing by the characters.
I really like the approach of making stories as long as they need to be. This works well with short stories and micro-fiction. With the longer work, some planning is required. Even knowing that, many of my novels are on the short side these days.
He went through a sad divorce from a childless marriage and still pined for the woman he loved and lost. His only constant was attending baseball games and rooting for his hometown team in the WWII era stadium that was such a big part of his youth. Now, with the stadium set to be demolished and replaced with a new corporate cookie-cutter version, Joe’s depression began to set in.
Don was born in Syracuse, New York to first generation Italian American parents. He’s an avid reader. Some of his favorite authors are Harlan Coben, David Morrell, Stephen King, Jonathan Kellerman, John Grisham, and Hugh Howey. His favorite book of all time is To Kill a Mockingbird.
Author Don Massenzio 