When life keeps imitating my fiction
Back in 1998 I wrote a screenplay titled, Inauguration Day, and for a brief time it was actually being considered to be green-lighted. Long story short, it didn’t happen.
But that’s not the reason why I bring it up here.
Eventually, I decided to adapt the screenplay to a novel back in 2013. Only to realize I really needed to write the main character’s backstory as the opening novel of the series, and then adapt the screenplay.
Longer story even shorter, that book finally got released in 2016 as, Betrayals, the sequel to Reservations in the Del Rio Mystery series.
It was already with the publisher when Donald Trump descended that elevator in Trump Tower and made history. Here’s how that event, and today’s return to the White House by Trump, are connected to Betrayals.
The story in the book deals with an FBI Agent named Jack Del Rio — yes there is a joke in the book about his name being shared with an NFL football coach, but that’s another story for another post — who discovers a plot as a new President is about to be sworn in.
The plot was begun in the old Soviet Union right after the end of World War II. It’s goal was to put someone inside the White House in a position of power that would hand the country over to the Russians.
So, as the 2016 campaign unfolded and the “Russian Collusion” narrative broke out, you can imagine what was going through my head. Really Life, you had to steal my idea?
And just when I finally thought that was all behind my novel, 2024 showed up and said “hold my beer” with 2025 providing a chaser.
Because in Betrayals the President and Vice-President are attacked during their inaugurations. And now we’re hearing that it wasn’t just a concern over cold weather that moved tomorrow’s ceremonies indoors.
There is some concern of an attack against the President-elect. A concern that seems somewhat valid given there were two attempts during the campaign.
No matter your politics, I think we can all hope that tomorrow passes relatively quietly. At least a lot more than it does in Betrayals.
In the meantime, could Life start working on duplicating some of my more positive storylines from now on?
I’d appreciate it.
