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| cover courtesy of publisher |
Inspiration for the book – The Gordonston Ladies Dog Walking Society
I was inspired to
write this book by the actual neighborhood itself, Gordonston. It is a small
neighborhood about a mile and a half to the East of downtown Savannah. I
moved there in 2005 and found the place very interesting.
I was a stay at home
Dad at the time and I would spend most afternoons walking around the
neighborhood, especially the community and private park which was for the
exclusive use of the residents. It was kind of odd, I would walk along
these tree lined avenues, and passed these beautiful large houses and I would
see no one. It was tranquil and peaceful but yet sinister as the place
seemed deserted as of course everyone was either at work or busy inside.
It struck me that it
would make an excellent setting for a murder mystery and I used the community
park, which is central to the neighborhood to bring all the characters and
plots together.
I noticed several
women walking their dogs one afternoon and came upon the idea of a dog walking
club, with exclusive membership for those who lived in the small neighborhood.
That formed the
basis of the story: A group of women
with secrets and hidden agendas who, to a stranger, seemed perfectly normal and
pleasant.
What also inspired
the story were the large houses in Gordonston……I would often think about what
went on behind the closed doors of these beautiful homes with perfectly
manicured lawns…..what secrets the occupants may have. I thought it would
be fun to create a scenario that somehow many of these neighbors were connected
by events from the past, causing them to want murder or have killed a fellow
resident of the neighborhood.
Once inspired to
write about my neighborhood, I used real life events that would become the
catalyst or part catalyst for the plot.
There was actually a
real alderman living in the neighborhood and I based the character of Elliott
very loosely on him, he was, like Elliot, recently widowed and I weaved that
into my story, very loosely of course and developed his character to have a
back story that would lead back to the neighborhood.
I am also inspired
by great TV shows and movies that have plot twists and interconnecting
characters, such as Desperate Housewives, Lost, The Usual Suspects, Crash and
Magnolia. I love a story that come together and leaves the reader, or
viewer, shocked or surprised by twists or connections.
BOOK BLURB
Something is
not quite right in the leafy Savannah neighborhood of Gordonston.
As friends
and fellow members of her afternoon cocktail club gather to mourn the death and
lament the life of Thelma Miller, not all is what it seems.
As old
friends vie for the attention of widower, Alderman and mayoral candidate
Elliott, jealousies surface and friendships are strained. An old woman with a
dark secret and an infamous uncle plots her revenge for a perceived wrong done
over thirty years before, a once successful children’s writer with his own
secret is haunted by memories of the past and aspiring model Kelly Hudd has
just won the trip of a lifetime.
As secrets
are revealed and history, both old and recent, unravel and an intertwined web of
deceits and lies surfaces in the middle class neighborhood a killer lurks and
is anyone really who they seem to be?
A mysterious
European gentleman in South America, a young Italian count parading the streets
of Paris and a charitable and kind hearted nephew recently arrived from India
add to the remarkable assortment of characters in this story of intrigue,
deceit and revenge. What is the secret a recently retired accountant is trying
to hide and just why did the former showgirl and attractive sixty two year old
widow Carla Zipp really have plastic surgery?
As the plot
thickens and the Georgia summer temperature rises we discover who is destined
for an early-unmarked grave in the wooded park that centers the tree-lined
avenues of Gordonston.
A mysterious
organization with links to organized crime, a handsome fire fighter who can do
no wrong and a trio of widows with deep hidden agendas compound a story of
simplistic complexity.
PURCHASE THE GORDONSTON LADIES DOG WALKING CLUB
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| author photo courtesy of publisher |
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Duncan Whitehead was
born in England in 1967. After a successful career in the Royal Navy where he
served in British Embassies throughout South America and saw service in the
Gulf War he joined the world of super yachts as a Purser onboard some of the
world's largest private vessels, working for many high profile individuals,
being fortunate enough to visit some of the world's most luxurious and exotic
places.
Eventually retiring
to Savannah, Georgia, he began to partake of his greatest passion, writing.
Initially writing short stories he finally put pen to paper and wrote The Gordonston Ladies Dog Walking Club,
inspired by the quirky characters and eeriness of his new environment. The
book, a thriller, which boasts an assortment of characters and plot twists, is
set in the leafy neighborhood where he lived.
His passion for
comedy saw submissions to many online satire news sites and a stint performing
as a stand- up comedian.
He is a former
boxer, representing the Royal Navy and an English under 19 team as an amateur
and is a qualified teacher of English as a foreign language as well as a former
accomplished children's soccer coach.
In 2011 Duncan
returned to South America, spending six months in Brazil and a few months in
Paraguay before travelling to the Middle-East and Europe before returning to
the United States to settle in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
He is fluent in
Spanish and Portuguese and lists his hobbies and passions as cooking, the
Israeli self defense art of Krav Maga and the pressure point martial art Dim-
Mak.
Duncan has written
over 2,000 spoof and comedy news articles, under various aliases, for an
assortment of web sites both in the US and UK.
As well as his other
activities he performs volunteer work, as a hospice volunteer visitor and
teaches English to refugees arriving in South Florida.
He has penned a
further novel; a comedy set in Manhattan, The
Reluctant Jesus, which is set to be published early 2013 and is working on
the script for a potential sit-com.
Duncan has one
daughter, Keira, and lives alone.
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