11/12/2004
Novel Ideas
The Washington Missourian
By Chris Stuckenschneider
Area author Peter K. Connolly will have lots to be grateful for come Thanksgiving. By then his first novel, "The Last Slider," will be finished and available for others to read.
Writing a book has been a lifelong dream for Connolly, who many of you might remember from the weekly column he wrote for The Missourian, "Once Over Lightly." Originally from suburban New York City, Connolly is now retired and lives in Lyon at the end of a winding gravel road.
In this peaceful, rural location "Slider" came to life -- it was a long time coming, about three years, Connolly said. Writing the book played havoc with his golf game; Connolly said he could hear the golf gods beckoning when he ignored his game and spent time on his book.
The sacrifice was worth the effort, Connolly's maiden voyage, a mystery set in Connecticut is an entertaining read with well-developed, believable characters. One in particular, psychotic photographer Ray Borelli, is warped enough to keep you up at night.
"Write what you know," is common advice offered to would-be writers. Connolly did just that. He called on his past experiences with submarines and public relations and incorporated his knowledge into his book. "The Last Slider," refers to a fictitious nuclear attack submarine, "Mystic," which is being built and readied for christening as Connolly's novel unfolds.
The story is set in the present, from October 2004 to June 2005, in a world fraught with fear of terrorist attacks and general mistrust of big business and the media.
The "Mystic" is being constructed by the New England Shipbuilding Corporation, NESCO, where attractive 35-year-old Cynthia "Casey" Kiernan, the main female character, is chief of public relations.
Casey's got her hands full, NESCO is getting to her, "I'm only 35 . . . and I feel like I'm 75," she tells coworker and mentor Bill Donovan. She's got to contend with office politics, threatening letters being sent to NESCO by someone named Krigoffer and an FBI investigation, among other stressors.
Casey's career also requires that she deal with newspaper reporter Brad Neiman, of the Washington Word. Neiman is far from ethical in his job at the paper, and he has a secret that could ruin him, one that he'll do almost anything to keep from the authorities.
All the while Casey is dealing with problems at NESCO, and juggling personal relationships, people are getting bumped off by creepy, crazy Ray. He's delusional, but able to pass himself off as normal in his profession, a photographer admired for his ability to get the best shots possible.
There are a plethora of other characters, which can get rather confusing in the early part of "The Last Slider." Keeping a list of the characters is helpful, as was Connolly's recommendation -- a reminder that there are really just two good guys and two bad guys in the book.
Submarines have always held a certain fascination for Connolly. For a number of years he worked in a submarine shipyard along the southeast coast of Connecticut. Though "Slider" is fiction, it contains a lot of factual information on submarines. Connolly, who holds an undergraduate and graduate degree in journalism, also capitalized on his experiences working at a newspaper to create some interesting characters in that field.
Connolly knew writing his book would be his first hurdle, but getting his book published would be an even more gargantuan effort. Rather than jumping through the hoops necessary to get "Slider" picked up by a major publishing company, Connolly opted to search the Web for a publisher. He decided to pursue that route after talking to a friend of a friend of a friend at a New York publishing house who told him about the stacks of manuscripts that end up in the basement, never to be looked at by the powers-that-be.
After hearing that, Connolly decided to take matters into his own hands. Serving as his own editor, he zeroed in on Trafford, and has been more than pleased with the Canadian company.
Though Trafford is publishing "Slider," Connolly still owns the rights to the book. Once it is published it could still be picked up by Random House, Harcourt, Harper Collins or any other of a number of major publishers.
That isn't out of the realm of possibilities. "The Last Slider" is far from sub-par -- it's a mystery with a twist that should appeal to many.
Connolly will be reading and signing copies of his book at an upcoming Washington Library event. Watch The Missourian for details.
People interested in purchasing a copy of "The Last Slider" can e-mail Connolly at ptrcon@fidnet.com. For more information about Connolly's book, log on at www.thelastslider.com.
©Washington Missourian 2005