The Four Kings (42 page)
Authors: Scott Spotson
About President Arthur Kellogg Walker
In this story, the target of the wizards’ contempt and scorn is the hapless and incompetent Arthur Kellogg Walker, fictional President of the United States. Seemingly, he can do no right – he took office during the severe prolonged recession known as
The Great Blight
, and his predisposition toward corruption didn’t help matters any.
So is President Walker Republican or Democrat? Honestly, I never thought of him as either one – after all, in fiction, a President is usually portrayed as President of all the people.
However, without specifically thinking of party affiliation, I drew the bumbling part (and not the corrupt part) of his character upon the much-maligned former President Jimmy Carter, who took office (1977-1981) during the great economic upheaval known as stagflation. I honestly don’t know if Carter was incompetent or just a victim of his circumstances, but his term in office is a compelling study in leadership in crisis, as well as being an era in which we – at the time – felt we were in an eerie parallel universe. It’s also possible he was just too honest for the job.
The oddities that stood out in my mind during Carter’s term in office include;
- his famed micro-management, including booking the White House tennis courts.
- the bewildering story that his office was unable to successfully suppress, “the killer rabbit” incident (look it up on the Internet!)
- a famous speech, called the “national malaise” speech, in which he pessimistically declared that America had a crisis of confidence.
- the fact that he changed the side upon which he parted his hair, halfway through his Presidency.
- also, halfway through his Presidency, Carter fired his entire Cabinet.
Needless to say, Carter had his share of accomplishments – namely, the deregulation of the airline industry, the peaceful handover of the Panama Canal, the Camp David peace accords, and comprehensive energy and environment programs. This above list of blunders is just tongue-in-cheek and totally superficial!
Will we see the likes of President Jimmy Carter or the fictional President Arthur Kellogg Walker again in our times? Only the future will tell.
About the Author
Other Books by Scott Spotson
“In this book magic is both a gift and a curse which leads to disaster as well as tremendous achievements. There is a lot of action and there are quite a few surprises along the way.”
Chaos reigns around the world. Strange creatures, accorded the title “Phantom Ninjas” by the media, are leaping off tall buildings and somersaulting back up without any scratch - and then disappear. There follows more spontaneous acts of magic, confounding the world. Who - or what - is responsible? In the middle of the mystery arrives Detective Hetfield, a private investigator just recently retired from the FBI, who is accustomed to fame as a star witness in the murder trial of a beloved actress. Hetfield, seeking ever more celebrity to boost his profile, uses the media to put forward the theory that a person of extraordinary magical powers is behind all the incidents, and labels him Dr. Magic. Hetfield gets much more than what he bargained for when that powerful being does exist - in the form of a young man long disillusioned with his past - and cruelly takes him up on his offer.
Upon discovering a 1958 book titled “Account of Time Travel on Earth Using Wave Theory,” 42-year-old Max Thorning’s life is thrown into chaos. Seeking answers to the book’s cryptic clues, he discovers Dr. Time, a seemingly benign alien who has control of the Time Weaver, a remarkable device that can command any scene from the Earth’s past. Dr. Time offers him a choice to go back into Time, to any point in his lifespan that he can vividly recall. The catch: he can only bring his memories, and can only live the future one day at a time. Follow Max’s dilemma as he goes back to his 16-year-old self and tries to forge his destiny into a new one called Life II.
You Know You’re Thin When
A humour book with drawings and blurbs about the salient advantages of being thin! Explores the “lighter side” of being thin - pun intended! Excels as a gift for your loved ones - the ones you’re always trying to fatten up with home cooked food! Also an inspirational gift for those who go to gyms and get fit!
Don’t believe everything you see! When rising marketing executive Patricia Fowler falls for Paul Blast, a married co-worker, she tries to put her life into perspective—a task that becomes increasingly difficult when she starts having eerie hallucinations. Patricia’s dreams of a happily ever after turn into one nightmare after another as she battles threats that go beyond her imagination.
Is her new love behind the torment? After all, his former girlfriend ended up in an asylum.
Or could Paul’s wife be more than a bored, spoiled, rich girl?
Meanwhile, the FBI is trying to track down a thief who magically appears and disappears, taking priceless gems and artwork with her.
“Delusional” is a fast-paced thriller that blurs the lines of reality and fantasy, leading to an explosive climax where what you see isn’t necessarily what you’re going to get!
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