Gearing Up for Book Two

Sunday, June 21st, 2009 | Posted by: Andrew Kent

Getting ready to release a second novel is an exciting time for an author, but also one full of dread and anxiety. What if it’s not as good as the first one? What if I’ve overlooked something? What if the marketing fails, the economy continues to tank, or I’ve missed the mark somehow?

I was pleasantly surprised by the great reviews my first novel, “Spam & Eggs: A Johnny Denovo Mystery,” garnered. And it’s still receiving them, with more due in the coming weeks.

Best of all, friends, acquaintances, and readers from around the world are asking when the next one is due out.

I’m happy to report that it’s due out this summer, but nervous about putting a work out into what appears to be a set of high expectations.

But I’ve taken the plunge. The book’s at the publisher, and I’ve published an excerpt online.

My protagonist, Johnny Denovo, is a neuroscientist by training who had his identity changed during a government investigation. Exploiting an editing error, the government shifted his identity from John A. Novarro to Johnny Denovo. Given his training in how the human mind works, he uses metaphors and the limbic brain as a basis for detecting crimes and unseating criminals. We think in metaphors (or, as Seal put it, dream in metaphors), and they reveal major themes of mind. Byt exploiting these, he can anticipate actions and reveal weaknesses.

In the new novel, entitled “The Green Monster,” the action starts with baseball. Baseball is the most pervasive athletic metaphor in the English language, including “struck out,” “play the field,” and “hardball.”

The Green Monster is famous in Boston as the high wall in Fenway Park’s left field. But there are other green monsters in our midst, including radical environmentalism, jealousy, and money.

The book is due out at the end of July. A sportswriter for the Worcester Telegram & Gazette has read it, and really enjoyed it. I’ve also sent it to the Boston Red Sox front office, where it’s being read now. We’ll see if anything comes of that.

So, in the language of baseball, here’s to hoping this second novel is a smash hit right off the bat, with some major league fans!