In the works

I currently have three projects in the pipeline. Furthest along is a novel, called The Family Car, about a family automobile company that has been a niche player competing with Detroit for over 60 years.  In 1971, the company finds itself at a cross-roads, both in terms of its future viability and the legacy of its founding family. The novel takes place in a historically accurate setting and offers a glimpse into the formative years of a great industry. Readers will also experience the power dynamics often found at senior levels in large companies, with examples of both inspired and dreadful leadership.

A second project, partway through its first draft, is nonfiction. Tentatively titled Falcon:  The Kodak Single Use Camera Story, the book will be an insider’s view of the events that led to one of Kodak’s last great successes in traditional film photography, just prior to the advent of the digital age. The business was led by a remarkable experimental team, that learned many valuable lessons worth sharing, even 25 years later.  With perspective granted by the passage of time, we can also see evidence from the period that sheds light on Kodak’s eventual collapse into bankruptcy. The book is shaping up to be a useful addition to the literature of business history.

My final project is another novel, set in the future, currently titled The Olympus Plan. Global capitalism has failed, leading to a chain reaction of political failures and a global collapse. New nations have arisen. One of these is located in the northwestern part of North America. It is technologically advanced and governed by interlocking councils. The nation rejected unfettered capitalism as uncontrollable and ultimately destructive, but 60 years after the it’s founding, a lack of profit incentives imposes problems of its own. Collective rule is also proving to be challenging.