FROM PUBLISHERS WEEKLY (2009) Note: This is a review of the entire novel Prospect of My Arrival.
In the fascinating and engaging near-future world of this novel, scientist Trish Mesmer is pioneering a project that will allow recently-conceived fetuses to experience the real world and decide if they want to be born. The first subject of the Pre-Born Project (and the book’s narrator) is named Prospect, and he’s implanted with a chip called a CyberSavant while in the womb that provides him with basic language skills and information about society. His consciousness is then implanted in a human body, and he’s sent out into the world to spend time with Referrals, people chosen to give him a sense of what the world is like. As he meets these people (who include his actual parents, an orphan, a conservative businessman who opposes the entire Pre-Born program, and others), he learns about romance, sex, and death, and discovers secrets about his future family, Trish, and his assorted Referrals. Prospect’s strong, innocent voice carries the novel as it ranges from touching to satirical in its exploration of the nature of humanity.
Update on PROSPECT OF MY ARRIVAL
I'm very pleased that literary agent Uwe Stender decided to represent me at the end of 2009. He loved my novel PROSPECT and has engaged four large publishing houses in reading the manuscript.
On another note, my manager Nicholas Bogner has approached screenwriter Paul Chart, who was one of the key writers for the terrific futuristic movie "Children of Men." Paul is almost done adapting my novel to be a screenplay.
THE HOPE STORE
I'm currently at work on my next novel: THE HOPE STORE. It takes place in the near-future when hope can be readily purchased over the counter. The store owner/scientist has isolated the biological components of hope...and devised a process by which to install it in the hopeless. When he first opens his unique boutique -- he is the media darling.
But an undercover reporter poses as a potential customer to get the inside dirt by befriending the other customers. When the reporter is discovered, the store owner challenges her to take the pill herself.
My mother Patsy Okita was both a fan of my writing and an inspiration. She passed away in September 2009 at the youthful age of 83. She was a great mother, a deep thinker, and one of my best friends. She taught me how to enjoy life and be happy.
