Goddess Fish Promotions Presents

Coincidence

by Jon Ketzner

A randomly drawn winner will receive a $25 Amazon/BN GC – Enter Below

On the eve of President John F. Kennedy’s final trip to Dallas, an irreverent narrator from the Ether begins to reveal the hidden chain of events that history never recorded. Spanning decades and weaving together Hollywood legends, political dynasties, secret affairs, and forgotten tragedies, Coincidence imagines how seemingly unrelated lives become entangled in the most infamous assassination of the twentieth century. From Joseph P. Kennedy and Gloria Swanson to Jackie Kennedy, Mary Pinchot Meyer, and the young Lee Harvey Oswald, every choice, passion, and betrayal sends ripples through time. Behind every headline lies another story, and every story hides a secret long buried. As the strands converge on November 22, 1963, the line between fate and accident begins to blur. Rich in historical detail and provocative speculation, Coincidence asks: was it really coincidence at all?

Do my characters seem to hijack my story or do I feel like I have the reins of the story?

I think fiction authors do tend to develop favorites among their characters. An author tries to make each character distinct and have their own voice…and that can be a challenge. As you write, you can get into a zone with a character where they become easy to write…their actions and reactions and dialogues seem comfortable and authentic. when you tumble onto a character like that, or maybe a few, you are tempted to make their parts bigger. In the end, though, you have to go where the organic narrative arch takes you. Side trips with characters are fun but if they don’t really push the story along, you’re just adding words. I like a crisp telling so I try not to fall into the trap of these.

My new novel “Coincidence” is centered by the assassination of President Kennedy, so many of the characters are real historical folks. And the people in this sad tale were so vital, and bigger-than-life, frisky and bright, that many of them…JFK, Jackie, Mary Pinchot Meyer, Onassis, Oswald, Marilyn Monroe…could easily steal the 

spotlight. I fell in love with Jackie, Mary Pinchot Meyer and Joe Kennedy Jr. My favorite fictional character is Clark Booth, who is Jackie’s secret service agent. He’s fictional but is based on a real person. 

I try not to overload the story by making a character so heroic and in control that they become boring in their perfection. That said, I do not mind cartoon villains. I guess bad guys can hijack a story too, but not my bad guys…I do enjoy writing patter between characters so there is a risk that everyone will speak like romcom characters…so i try to look out for doing that.  I do try to write with humor…silly more than witty…

Many of my fictional characters have the names of people in my life…generally the secondary or lower type characters. This helps book sales because they’ll buy several copies and then have me sign the book and they will too. 

President Kennedy huddled with Dave Powers and Kenneth O’Donnell in the sixth-floor small conference room. Secret Service agents circled unobtrusively among the men. Vice President Lyndon Johnson orbited the group, along with miscellaneous officials and politicians. 

At 8:45, the assembled high muckety-mucks elevatored to the lobby and strolled into the light rain. A large crowd had assembled in the parking lot. A flatbed truck served as a makeshift stage. 

After unremarkable remarks by two of the locals, President Kennedy climbed onto the flatbed with a steroid enabled limber, made more uncomfortable by his back brace. He wore no protection against the rain. He spoke without notes.

“There are no faint hearts in Fort Worth, and I appreciate you being here this morning. Mrs. Kennedy is organizing herself. It takes longer, but, of course, she looks better than we do when she does it.”

Kennedy spoke extemporaneously for five minutes congratulating Fort Worth for its contributions to America’s defense and Texas’ efforts on behalf of the Space program. His youth and easy confidence stood in stark contrast to the buttoned-up, old farts who surrounded him atop the flatbed.

The parking lot crowd applauded with, as JFK might say, great vigor. The President smiled, waved and with Dave Power’s discrete assistance eased down from the flatbed. Still on schedule, the posse of politicians, assistants and security strode to the large ballroom of the Texas Hotel for breakfast.

Jon Ketzner was born in Cumberland, Maryland in the lovely Appalachian foothills. He grew up in Baltimore then graduated from Towson University with a degree in mathematics and went on to a long career as a consulting actuary. For many years, Jon and his family lived in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania before moving back to Cumberland in 1990.

As a recovering actuary and inspired by the Maryland Writers Association’s “Notable Authors” monthly challenges, Jon decided to try his hand at writing and give his left-brain side a rest. He cites as influences: Henry Fielding, Joseph Heller, Gregory McDonald, and Tim Dorsey.

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