The Charity Chip (38 page)

“So you think that just because you freed me from jail that I work for you now?” answered Angelica with a wink.

Julio winked back. “Love is not shown in words, but in deeds.”

Acknowledgments

^T
hey say the only difference between good writing and bad writing is proper editing, but if you ask any successful novel writer, he or she will tell you that he or she has at least one “trunk novel” (an unsuccessful manuscript tucked away in a trunk) that never saw the light of day.

When I first got the crazy notion to write a book, I was long on ideas and short on skills, but one idea carried so much energy that I ignored my lack of skills and began the project long before I probably should have. The first chapter of this book was written before I understood plot structure, point of view, or characterization. It simply sprang from the strength of an idea. It took me years of work to lead me to a place where I could finish the story properly. This novel is a result of not giving up on that idea.

Hopefully, I have edited it enough and rewritten it enough that my bad writing has become good writing. If not, I promise to leave the rest of my “trunk novels” in the trunk.

Because I took so long to finish and polish this work, I had a lot of help along the way. Like most writers, I nagged and cajoled my family members into reading first. The first person to read this, and most everything else I write, was my wife, Britt. I am always amazed, and sometimes overwhelmed, at the things she deems me capable of accomplishing. The truth be told, she is the reason I even try difficult things. Without her belief in me, this book would have never left the trunk.

My parents, Eddie and Jeanetta Booher, taught me to love reading, and when I started writing, they never hesitated to read my work, no matter how bad. My children—Rian, Cody, Sarah, Kati, Carson, and Rylee—have all helped make my writing better and put up with my brainstorming around the dinner table. My in-laws, Brent and Dorothy Hancock, Jared and Jennifer Hancock, and family have all suffered through first drafts and encouraged me to continue. My brother Chock, his wife, Adrian, and my nephews Russell and Shelvin all read the first draft of this story and saw its potential in spite of the flaws. My nephew Mark Tonkinson and my niece Taryn Tonkinson encouraged me to keep writing and suffered through my writing from the very beginning. My sister Tahlee helped brainstorm through several versions and kept the spark of creativity alive.

Several friends made a difference along the way—Braden Jarvis, Matt Mulligan, Kim Ristoff, Herb Jackson, Joel Bikman, Kati Kunzleman, Kelly Breinholt, Lucille Sondrup, Monica Whiting, Kathy Rollender, Kim Guerrette, Jennifer Annes, and Tori Spencer. Each of them made a contribution to the story and sharpened the prose with character suggestions or plot improvements. In particular Adam and Dalynn Albright were some of the first people to read the manuscript and never gave up on it.

The first chapter of this novel, as it was originally written, got me into Orson Scott Card’s Literary Boot Camp. His wisdom still guides my writing efforts. I have the good fortune of rubbing shoulders with several other new writers in my writing group that challenge me to improve my skills—Stephen Stirling, Randy Lindsay, Ryan Hancock, Adrienne Quintana, Laura Walker, Michael Bast, and Shersta Chabot. We are lucky to have Janette Rallison share her experience with us as well.

I also owe a great deal to Chrissy Wolfe, editor at EFC Services LLC and blogger at
Every Free Chance Books
, for her professional help with the manuscript. She loved my first novel, and I didn’t want to let her down with this one. Her feedback was very insightful and helped bring the story up to a publishable performance.

This book would not be possible without the guidance and professionalism of the Cedar Fort staff—Emma Parker, Shawnda Craig, and Michelle May. I want to make special mention of Melissa Caldwell and her copyediting skills that allow me to focus on the story, and Kelly Martinez for his marketing guidance and sound advice.

Before I ever thought about writing a book, I had the good fortune of living in Peru for a few months, but the better fortune of meeting Raúl and Claudia Gonzalez. Our friendship has continued across the distance with the help of Facebook and Skype. I drew from my experience and their help to get the details of the setting right. Also Christian Hurtado, who took the time to let me interview him about his experience in a
barra brava
. Peru is a wonderful country full of interesting people with many stories worth telling.

Although this is a work of fiction, I tried to use actual data to support the plot. Thousands of children die each year from malnutrition resulting from poverty. Perhaps it is time we found a viable solution instead of throwing money at the problem. Perhaps we should find a way to empower people to rise out of poverty at the lowest possible level. I hope this work of fiction raises our awareness of a problem that has lingered in the human condition for far too long.

Discussion Questions

1.
  What is the value of a life? Are some lives more valuable than others? Why or why not?

2.
  How did you feel about Julio’s promise to take care of his twin brother? How far does our responsibility to help others go?

3.
  Is Isak trying to do a good thing, or is he simply after the profits?

4.
  What would you do to solve world hunger? Will your solution place more value on one life than another? Will your solution strip other people of their rights?

5.
  Is it okay for Julio to steal in order to survive? How far would you be willing to go in order to survive?

6.
  If you could have a money chip implanted, would you? Why or why not?

7.
  How important is sports in your life? If you had to choose between a family event and the big game, which would you choose?

8.
  How has technology made your life better? How has it made your life worse?

9.
  What would you do to help Doctor Barilla overcome his addiction?

About the Author

^B
rock Booher, the fourth of ten children, grew up on a farm in rural Kentucky, where he learned to work hard, use his imagination, and believe in himself. He graduated from Brigham Young University and served in the US Air Force flying the A-10 and as an instructor pilot in the T-37. He is a commercial pilot for a major US carrier. In addition to technical writing for the USAF, his essays have been published in local newspapers and in
Kentucky Monthly
. He resides in Gilbert, Arizona, with his wife. They have six children.

© 2015 Brock Booher

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form whatsoever, whether by graphic, visual, electronic, film, microfilm, tape recording, or any other means, without prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief passages embodied in critical reviews and articles.

This is a work of fiction. The characters, names, incidents, places, and dialogue are products of the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. The opinions and views expressed herein belong solely to the author and do not necessarily represent the opinions or views of Cedar Fort, Inc. Permission for the use of sources, graphics, and photos is also solely the responsibility of the author.

ISBN 13: 978-1-4621-2446-6

Published by Sweetwater Books, an imprint of Cedar Fort, Inc.,

2373 W. 700 S., Springville, UT 84663

Distributed by Cedar Fort, Inc.
www.cedarfort.com

Cover design by Michelle May

Cover design © 2015 by Lyle Mortimer

Edited and typeset by Melissa J. Caldwell