'The Coin' serial novel coming Sunday
A single coin. Is it magical? Spiritual? Powerful?
Find out on Sunday.
Sixteen area authors have teamed up to pen a serial novel, "The Coin," in which a mysterious coin kicks off a twisting, turning tale of intrigue, set right in Aiken County.
The concept of a serial novel is simple: One author writes a chapter and then passes it on to the next author. Since each chapter of "The Coin" is written by a different local author, the story brings in a diverse pool of voices and provides a suspense-filled story that will have readers dying to know what happens next and keep them guessing until the end. While traditional serial novels were published over multiple editions of a newspaper or magazine, "The Coin" will be done as a single publication, so readers can set their own cliffhanger schedule.
The 24-page insert will be included in the Sunday Aiken Standard and will also be posted online at www.aikenstandard.com in PDF form.
Aiken Standard Managing Editor Michael Gibbons, who wrote one of the chapters, said the diverse group of writers made for a wild tale that goes from one end of the county to the other, and the story keeps readers on their toes until the very end.
"Bringing in such talented writers allowed for the story to really grow and evolve and take a lot of fun twists and turns," Gibbons said. "It's a great combined effort of incredibly creative people."
The entire story is set in Aiken County, so readers will have no trouble picturing where all of the action is taking place.
"From the Playhouse to the library to Odell Weeks, the story hits plenty of places in Aiken that readers will know well, which makes following the action all the more enjoyable," Gibbons said.
The authors who weaved the story for "The Coin" are Jennie Beck, Tony Baughman, Adam Burton, Stephen Cobb, Shana Donahue, Laura Gibbons, Karin Gillespie, Patrick Green, Stephen Hale, Rachel Johnson, John Lowery, Susan Mucha, Thurmond Whatley, Paul Wilson and Maureen Woltermann, Learn more about each of the authors in Sunday's special insert.
"The Coin" is sponsored by Clein's Rare Coins of Augusta.
Excerpts from "The Coin":
Bill thought of Calvert and felt himself shiver. Who was the little man? How had he known about the coin?
Nurse Overton sauntered toward the emergency room exit, peeking over each shoulder before slipping into what she hoped was an empty women's restroom. Squatting achingly frog-like in front of each stall, she scanned the floor intensely before rising and releasing a sigh of relief. A bit of a smirk then slid onto her once stoic muzzle.
He set off to his car. He stopped, popped the trunk open and he pulled out a blue jacket that he thought could pass for a pest control jacket. He paused and laid his head onto the steering wheel. His head throbbed. Did he really want to pull a job right now? He could go back to the hospital and charm a nurse into telling him where Nurse Overton lived. Somewhere from the deep recesses of his brain a voice whispered, "yes."
"If you want to be Brad Pitt, then buy an orphanage," he snarled. "Don't get cute with me, Delta; we have more pressing issues. We had a deal," he said, holding up the iridescent coin. "I've fulfilled my end of the bargain, now it's time for you to fork over the coin. My coin."
Standing alone in the deserted parking lot at Odell Weeks Center in the middle of the night, Bill Caldwell admired the two coins. He held one in each upturned palm and kept his hands a safe distance apart. Individually, their power was great; but if brought too close together, that power was dangerous. He'd learned this lesson painfully when he'd caught the coin Agent Delta tossed him using the same hand which contained the coin he already possessed. Moron thinks he's funny.