The Illuminating Occurrence of
Maxine Porter
Glenn Seerup
Print and eBook
October 11, 2019
Glenn Seerup, publisher
eBook $4.99
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Read my review here.
About the Book
Hayden Carlisle,
a socially awkward twenty-three year old designer, begins his first
professional job at The Plush Porcupine, a boutique toy design studio in
Chicago. Hard times have fallen on the Porcupine and a dark cloud hangs over
its future.
Maxine Porter arrives with a mysterious background and an uncanny knack for knowing things. Spellbound by the amazing Max, the eclectic crew at the Porcupine begin to prosper, while continually ruminating over who Max is and where she came from.
Through Hayden’s Journal writing, we learn of the unlikely friendship developing between him and Max.
A Brief Interview with the Author
-After and Before: The Story of Hatley Chambers
www.glennseerup.com
Facebook: Facebook profileMaxine Porter arrives with a mysterious background and an uncanny knack for knowing things. Spellbound by the amazing Max, the eclectic crew at the Porcupine begin to prosper, while continually ruminating over who Max is and where she came from.
Through Hayden’s Journal writing, we learn of the unlikely friendship developing between him and Max.
A Brief Interview with the Author
Glenn, tell us what you
love about this book.
I love the people in
the book. I love how as I write a story, the personalities of each character
develop and grow as their voices come alive. This is really a story about personalities
and relationships. It demonstrates how diverse individuals can bring unique
strengths and frailties together, feeding off each other. They don’t always have
to get along but each individual contributes to complete the dynamic of the
collective group. I know when my characters begin to feel real to me when I see
somebody walking down the street and I think, “Hey, is that Max?” Then I
remember that she isn’t real.
Introduce us to the
character who was most challenging to capture.
I would have to say
that Marty would be the character that was most challenging to capture. Marty
is a dedicated employee and friend. She has a lot of baggage in her personal
life and she tries to compartmentalize it from her outward persona, shielding
her troubles from her colleagues. I think that the challenge in writing Marty
came from never personally living through the situations where Marty finds
herself. I had to imagine myself dealing with these issues in my personal life
and what I would do, and then re-imagine it from the point of view of Marty.
Each character has their challenges. That’s what makes writing fun.
Share a couple of
things you learned in researching this story.
For most of the book’s
themes and locations, I was able to draw from my experiences living in the
design world of great city of Chicago. I did learn a lot about different toy
manufacturers and their processes as well as the cutthroat world of product
placement and wholesaling. I also found the study of kinesiology and ergonomics
interesting as I looked into design and comfort. Probably the most surprisingly
interesting topic that I briefly delved into was my look into metallurgy and
the different properties that metals can take on with slight molecular
modifications to their structure.
What do you hope
readers will tell others?
I hope readers will
tell others that reading this book made them feel good about people and the
world that we live in. I feel like this story is about real people in real
situations and the reader is rooting for them to succeed. I also hope they feel
like they are a little on edge throughout the book, feeling that little bit of
mystery that grows on you in a nagging way. This is the suspense that keeps you
reading, knowing that there is more to the story but you’re not quite sure what
it is. I hope they tell people that when they finished, they sat for a while
pondering the story with a smile on their face.
What are you reading
now?
I usually have a couple
of books going—I listen to audio books in my car while commuting and I always
have a book at my bedside. Currently, I am about halfway through The Brief and
Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, by Junot Diaz. The audio books I check out of the
library are generally hit or miss. The most recent one that I really enjoyed
was Nine Perfect Strangers, by Liane Moriarty, an interesting character study
that takes place in an unusual setting.
What’s next for you?
I am currently
knee-deep in a new novel, which I intend to be the first of a trilogy. While a
similar type of character study that I love, I am framing this in a more
adventurous, fast-paced style. Hunter Cahill’s escapades will take the reader
on a frantic romp through the streets of Chicago. He’ll meet all kinds of
interesting characters as he works to unravel the mysterious drama that falls
unwelcome at his feet.
About the Author
Glenn Seerup is a
future New York Times bestselling author of Literary Fiction. It’s good to have
goals. With over twenty-five years as an accomplished architect under his belt,
Glenn has returned to his first passion, the written word. Successfully publishing
his first novel in 2017 to rave reviews, a second novel, The Illuminating
Occurrence of Maxine Porter, is due for release in the Fall of 2019. A third
project in the works will be the first of a three (or more) part series.
While Glenn has
traveled extensively through the United States, Europe, and Africa, and lived
in various cities, he loves to write about life in the big city of Chicago –
well, and Boston. Settled now in a sleepy beach town in northwest Indiana,
Glenn devotes as much time as he can to his wife and two wonderful kids. Most
of that time is spent driving to soccer practices, games, and tournaments.
Somewhere in there, he still finds time for home remodeling, playing in adult
soccer leagues, and watching the English Premiere League. Glenn likes soccer.
As a young adult, The
Catcher in the Rye solidified the love of Literature and the joy of a simple,
beautifully written story. Glenn likes to include subtle references to the
Salinger masterpiece into his own writing. See if you can spot them.
Books:
-The Illuminating Occurrence of Maxine Porter-After and Before: The Story of Hatley Chambers
www.glennseerup.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/glenn-seerup-67b4378
Blog: https://glennseerup.com/blog
