Henrik Nordmark is
a bald, middle-aged security
guard with few friends
and no romantic possibilities. Tired of being the weed sprouting out of
the
wallflower, Henrik has an epiphany. He will have one moment of
inimitable distinction,
even if it kills him.
What he doesn’t
realize is that it very well could.
Unbeknownst to
Henrik, he’s accidently targeted by a team of bumbling, elderly
assassins from
the nearby retirement home,
and they
have him in their crosshairs...even if their shaking hands and bad
eyesight
prevents them from keeping him there.
Henrik’s
counterpart is Roland, a young office worker who thinks fate
has just dealt him a full house. He will escape his gray cubicle walls,
become
rich and famous and live the life of his dreams. Now, if he could just
find
that winning lottery ticket…
Henrik’s and
Roland’s lives intertwine with that of a young couple, the
aptly named Bonnie and Clyde,
two formerly
star-crossed lovers who have grown to loathe each other. Bonnie and Clyde have homicidal intention
in their hearts, but seem
to lack the cleverness and proficiency to pull off their respective
crimes.
A Brief History of The Three Fates of Henrik Nordmark
I
originally wrote The Three Fates of Henrik Nordmark as
part
of the 2007 3 Day Novel Competition.
I'd entered the contest the previous two years and produced 2
novellas but wasn't one of the finalists. In 2007, Henrik Nordmark made
the short list (out of over 600 entries)
for the competition. This was really cool and exciting...but only the
contest winner gets published. So over the next year I reworked the
manuscript, doubled its length and had excerpts of it published in
literary print journals.
Then
I submitted it to ECW Press, fingers crossed, and in April 2009
they accepted my novel. My editor
and I reworked it again during 2009/2010 and now here it is, the
finished book. In creating Henrik Nordmark, I really wanted to write a
"literary" novel with carefully crafted prose (à la Patrick
Suskind or Janet Frame)
but I also wanted a fast-paced plot with several plot lines that
intertwine in unexpected ways.
And above all, I wanted it to be funny.
I
hope you enjoy it...
c
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Reviews...
"A complex
bit of
narrative macramé ... a slapstick comedy of errors that moves at a
breakneck pace"
- Quill
& Quire
"Witty and
entertaining... full of laugh-out-loud moments" - Publishers Weekly
"Three
Fates is
well-written, totally hilarious yet also poignant, and brilliantly
planned....There are too many times to count at which I laughed aloud,
too many pages I’d love to quote..." Bella's Bookshelves Read
Review
"What
a great read! Fun, Fast and
utterly enjoyable I would recommend this book to anyone who
has a
fondness for a writer like Carl Hiassen. Like Hiassen, there are a
number of
seemingly unrelated storylines that in the end become completely and
hilariously intertwined... Throughout there is a real cinematic feel to
the story, the characters and the dialogue. While the story focuses on
Henrik and his quest to be unique, it is his complete naiveté that
makes him so compelling and his final epiphany so perfect..." Carey Low (Manda Group)
"The
entire structure resembles a particularly intense game of Jenga....The
three assassins and their escapades are certainly worthy of plaudits,
and Roland's desperately silly dive into despair is marked with high
style....Meades shows definite talent, and I look forward to what his
imagination unleashes next.." Corey Redekop (author of Shelf
Monkey)
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