Tuesday, November 3, 2009

I'm a stranger in a strange land.

My novel is really coming along. Over 9000 words! My goal is to finish on the 22nd in Newport, be done with it for Thanksgiving.

It is set in Albany, in the present, which poses a small problem- I don't know that much about the town I live in. I have used Google a lot today to discover the seedy underbelly of Albany, Oregon.

One of the thrift stores in town is run by a family who started their own church about 40 years ago. They also have rooms for rent for the homeless. I read tales of the family taking half of the residents' food stamps for rent. They would go shopping with the benefit cards and come home with two separate grocery orders, one for the family and one for the residents- steak in the freezer for the family, watery chicken soup for residents.
Sour grapes? Maybe. But an interesting story. The brother and sister who run the mission have been married more than 5 times each, according to anectodal internet evidence. The sister performs the weddings, since she is an ordained minister in her own church.
There have been two suspicious fires at buildings the mission owns, and insurance was collected.

Intrigue! In Albany!

I don't know if any of this will find its way into my novel, but it wouldn't surprise me. It's awfully juicy.

No comments:

Post a Comment