The Bookmobile Series

Many years ago, while a student at the University of Texas, my friend Rollo Newsom helped me get a job as a bookmobile driver at the Austin Public Library. Although I was assigned to work with several librarians, one of my favorites was a lot like Liz in Where Love Once Lived. She was constantly doing more for the patrons than a librarian was expected to do. I started writing a book about my experiences that was something like Suds in Your Eye by Mary Lasswell. I never finished that book which was more of a series of episodes rather than a novel.

When I started writing Where Love Once Lived, I thought of Jan Karon's Mitford and decided to use a bookmobile to make the locale in my book smaller and more manageable than all of Austin, Texas. As it turned out, one third of the scenes take place on the bookmobile. So, I learned to love that vehicle and have included it in my next book and I have a plan for a third and fourth book that includes the bookmobile. Although there are some crossover of characters, the books are all independent.

I told you some about my next book, Vengeance is Mine, in previous posts, but I haven't mentioned it includes a bookmobile. Liz is the crossover character and she is now the head librarian. The city has now bought its own bookmobile, so, when Chris and Tex's van is damaged by gunfire received when they visit El Paso, Liz offers them the use of Brian's bookmobile for the trip to Galveston. It is wheelchair ready and has a Internet connection. When Liz travels to Galveston to bail them out of jail, she jumps in the bookmobile for the ride back to Austin. Before they leave Galveston, they learn the killers are in Houston. Chris encourages Liz to fly home, but she insists on going with them. So the bookmobile is back in action, with Liz aboard.

Let me know what you think about this use of a bookmobile. Many of my friends don't understand it, but I like it.

Vengeance Is Mine--Part 2 of 2

I mentioned last time that I'm preparing for an agent pitch this Saturday by updating my Vengeance is Mine synopsis. As you know, I've been so busy with Where Love Once Lived, I've hardly had time to work on the new book. Here's the rest of the synopsis which was too long to show you yesterday:

The search turns international when a classmate of Sarah's comes over from London and warns Chris the killers are terrorists planning to bomb a site in the United States. The friend, who purports to be with British Intelligence, is killed in Chris's apartment while Chris is away on a search trip. Chris uses his computer skills plus clues found at the scenes to follow the gang from one city to another.

Clues take them first to an abandoned warehouse in Albuquerque where Chris discovers an intact hard disk from a smashed computer. Back home, he reads the disk and finds a clue that takes them to a small town in Massachusetts. From there, with trips back home in between to review the clues with Liz and Angela, they go to El Paso, and then Galveston where Chris and Tex are arrested and jailed.

While in jail, Chris comes to terms with his grief and realizes vengeance is not up to him. They are freed with Liz's help and they find a clue that leads them to the killers in an underground pedestrian passageway in Houston the President of the United States is using to go to a meeting. Angela is taken captive leaving it up to Chris and Tex to save her and stop the killers.

Afterwards, Angela introduces Chris and Tex to the President. Tex gets a full pardon from the President and a college scholarship from Liz's friend who has financed the search. Liz and Chris find Tex's estranged parents and reunite them with their son. Angela, Chris, Tex, and Liz, along with Tex's wife get together for the Christmas dinner they missed while in jail.

In an epilogue, the gang is meets twelve months later for another Christmas dinner and there is a kiss between Chris and Angela.

Let me know what you think about Vengeance is Mine.