For a few years now I've been thinking about writing a novel. I'm totally serious about this.  The general idea of the novel is this: Small-town, country blogger finds himself in the middle of investigating a major political scandal that's so significant it could tip control of the United States Senate.

Some really interesting things have happened to me in my capacity as a blogger, and I've never told you guys about some of those things.  I kind of think I could weave some of those real-life personal experiences into a mystery novel and keep readers' interest.  

I started the novel a couple years ago, have picked it up a couple times since, but haven't really gotten much done on it in about a year.  Then, a couple weeks ago someone going by the name "GreenGuy" wrote a few comments on DailyKos.com and those comments have given me some new inspiration to continue writing my novel.  Here's one of GreenGuy's comments:

(Source -- DailyKos.com)

Now, I assume this "story about to break" from "GreenGuy" can't possibly be true because his/her comment was written over two weeks ago, and there is no such story that's broken.  But... in my fictional novel, I'd like to take advantage of the idea of GreenGuy's allegations, and turn it into a component in my fiction-based novel.  

So I've come up with a lot of ideas for the book. I've actually written a bunch of the first chapter. Some of the fictional characters in my novel include Dick Hamlet, a Republican North Dakota congressman, seeking an open U.S. Senate seat. Molly McGillen, a 28-year-old newcomer to the Washington, D.C., world of political fundraising. Lisa Van Ive, Molly's boss at LVI Consulting, a smart, motivated woman driven to become a real player in the Republican national fundraising world. And Chip Sandlin, a country lawyer who blogs on the side -- ;-) -- who stumbles into a story about hush money paid by Congressman Hamlet to McGillen and Van Ive, to snuff out the embarrassing story about a drunken sexual assault -- in this fictional tale -- at an oil industry fundraiser McGillen has set up for LVI at a hotel near the Denver Airport in March of 2012, just seven months before the election.

You may think it sounds far fetched, but I kind of like it as political fiction. Even though it probably wouldn't ever happen. You with me?

I've got a lot of twists and turns in mind for this story.  Molly is forced to leave her job because of the tension associated with the sexual assault in Denver, and one of Van Ive's biggest accounts.  A significant, six-figure hush-money pay-off is arranged for Molly, so she'll quietly walk away from her sexual harassment claim.  Somehow, news outlets -- ABC News, the New York Times, etc. -- find out about the Hamlet/McGillen story, investigate it, but can't find a second source.  Molly goes to work in a little boutique retail clothing shop in Old Town, Alexandria, Virginia.  The national news outlets keep tracking her down -- even sending reporters to the store to try to talk to her -- but she won't talk to anyone.  

She's scared, and -- arguably -- has reason to be.

Molly keeps a cell phone with offensive cell phone messages from Hamlet as an "insurance policy" in case something goes wrong.  She never really thinks about the possibility her sexual assault and/or sexual harassment claim might be worth a LOT more than the hush-money pay-off she's received.

Chip -- though a blogger not bound by traditional journalists' "second source" rule -- struggles for some time to find a second source, too.  

Eventually, Chip does something, somehow that ultimately ends up convincing Molly that she'd be better off -- it would be better for her, personally, professionally and probably even financially -- if she decided the hush money was not worth her integrity, her dignity, or the possibility this devious, conniving, womanizing prick of a millionaire could become a United States Senator, thereby tipping the balance of power in Washington.

At the same time, Lisa Van Ive (Molly's boss) -- who's also taken hush money from Hamlet -- struggles with the predicament Hamlet has put her in, both personally and professionally.  Does she pocket the hush money -- Chip's snooping has put him on the trail of some anomalies in payments from Hamlet's campaign to LVI -- and cross her fingers? Does she -- or an employee of hers who DOES have some integrity -- contact Chip and provide a second source?  She starts to wonder if, by taking hush money from a client to compensate her for something other than the actual work she's done, she's done something illegal. Lisa's predicament is tough: if a Republican political fundraising consultant can't keep her client's sexual assaults secret, how is she ever going to be able to make it in the business of fundraising for today's Republican politicians?  

On the other hand, if she does pocket the money and keep Hamlet's secret, how does she -- an otherwise strong, intelligent, motivated woman, trying to make it in the "old-white-man's" political world -- look herself in the mirror every day? How can her employees look themselves in the mirror every day, knowing the story of this scandal will eventually break and destroy the congressmen they've helped protect as well as their boss's business, possibly dragging them down with her (and him).

There are all kinds of other "side issues" that come into play.  Perhaps I'll have the story end up having some "John Edwards" scandal or "John Ensign" scandal components.  Where does the money to pay off Molly come from? Is it an illegal campaign contribution? Does Hamlet's wife find out about the hush money pay-off?  What does she do when she finds out?  (Cue "Stand By Your Man")

On the edge of your seat yet?

<Stay Tuned>

But here's one of the places where I get hung up:  If there's a a couple hundred thousand dollars on the line for this poor young woman, and she's got a lot of big, Washington, D.C., big shots threatening what could happen to her if she tells her story, how can I sew this thing together in such a way that it's "believable fiction." I obviously can't say "Chip pulls out his pocket book and offers to pay Molly the same amount, plus any attorney fees and and stipulated penalties or liquidated damages for a breach of the confidentiality clause in the settlement agreement."  Remember: Chip's just a country lawyer and doesn't have hundreds of thousands of extra dollars lying around. 

So what is it that Chip does to convince Molly she'll be a better person if she tells her story?

Ideas?  

Anybody want to work with me to co-write?

Comments (17)

What the Heck said:

	just the beginning You must have enough material by now for a Time Life Series collection. Are we to dedeuce your fictional novel may have purely coincidental and non-intentional similiarities to real life characters, people, and events? hmmmm.
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October 17, 2012
Votes: +0

nimrod's leftist cousin said:

... Chip arranges for Molly to move to North Dakota and sets her up with a lucrative job at an oil-field strip joint. (Due to policy initiatives set by President Romney, she gets off at 5 pm every day so she can go home and cook supper for the children in the Mennonite family that has taken her in.) He orchestrates a bogus pole-dancing accident, files a fraudulent workers compensation claim on her behalf, and she lives a life of luxury from her enormous workers compensation settlement. (You did say it was fiction.)

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October 17, 2012
Votes: +5

What the Heck said:

	ultimate hypocrisy Molly gets pregnant. Despite Hamlet's record of supporting felony charges for abortion, he urges Molly to secretly terminate the pregnancy.
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October 17, 2012
Votes: +3

justawriter said:

	Building on what the heck wrote Molly got pregnant from the assault, gets an abortion, Chip figures this out because it was paid for out of quasi campaign funds (ala Edwards), Chip tells Molly if he can figure it out someone else will too, eventually ... and Molly cracks.
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October 17, 2012
Votes: +0

bob said:

I've got the perfect idea... Chip should start a blog. Chip should then take all this information, change the names and places, and write up the whole thing in just a certain way that would allow those involved to know just who Chet Chip is referring to. Knowing full well that the whole thing is going to come crashing down, Molly decides to come clean and rat out the good for nothing politician. Molly gets a book deal, and comes out way ahead. How does that sound?

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October 18, 2012
Votes: +2

Chet said:

Stream of consciousness (1) Movie rights? Who plays "Chip"? I'm thinking maybe Josh Duhamel (Chip looks young for his age). Beau Bridges or Will Ferrel could play Hamlet. Megan Fox (a brunette) as Molly. Maybe Ashley Judd as Van Ive. Or Laura Dern. (2) What's with this freakish wind? Don't blame global climate change because wind doesn't have anything to do with global climate change, right? (3) I'm imagining how, within just a few hours of Chip first writing about the hush-money pay-off, Chip's little blog post/study gets overwhelmed with hoards of web traffic that can be traced back to the Republican National Committee (RNC), the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), Republican polling firm "Public Opinion Strategies," and a lot of U.S. House staffers in Congressman Hamlet's office, all of whom apparently have waaaaay too much time on their hands. I'm imagining a sort of "Jason Bourne"-esque viral panic in Washington. Cell phones buzzing everywhere. Hushed whispers and panicked looks. All that web traffic sends a clear message to Chip when he sees it. (4) Maybe Lawrence O'Donnell could co-write the screenplay. (5) I've gotten some interesting book title alternatives by private message but I kind of like the title I came up with. It's a bit of a play on words for something that'll be developed later in the story. (If I told you everything, you wouldn't buy the book.) (6) Anybody recognize the photo I hove on the book cover? Probably knot. (7) I gotta figure out a role for Samuel L. Jackson in the film version. I love that guy. Maybe I put his Zeus Carter character, from "Die Hard: With a Vengeance" in a D.C. cab or turn him into an aggressive FEC investigator or something. (8.) One thing I'm pondering, too, is this: In my bit of fiction, what do the people who've endorsed Hamlet (e.g. commercials, LTEs, etc.) do when they learn about this whole thing? Do they also "stand by their man"? Do they run away from him? Do the checks keep coming in? Do they trust the rural state's good-ol-boy network to bury the story? How about the state political party? Do they even have the courage to ask him about it? Or do they just do the Sgt. Schultz? (9) I like bits and pieces of everyone's ideas. (Except Nimrod's leftist cousin's, of course; this has to be believable fiction.) Keep 'em coming. (10) In response to "What the Heck"'s question: I can't imagine something like this could ever happen in a nation built on integrity, honesty, trust and honor. I can, however, envision there being a country blogger who goes by "Chip," (or something like that) who finds himself in the middle of investigating a big scandal.

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October 18, 2012
Votes: +1

What the Heck said:

The movie I'm thinking Ryan Gosling and George Clooney. Oh wait...that movie has been done. Can't remember the actress who died from the abortion. She was a blonde. I vote for Jeff bridges for hamlet. Yeah he's a little old perhaps but his wife is from Fargo. He can play good guys drunk guys and slime balls. As to what Ham's supporters do...I would speculate they will claim it is all a personal matter. Stand by their man. Media will ignore it like they do all controversial republican stories. I would propose a section in the book where some other politician gives Ham advice on how he has suppressed the media, paid off his enemies and maintained a squeaky clean image. Kind of a big brother little brother advice scenario. From one good ole boy to another.

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October 18, 2012
Votes: +2

nimrod's leftist uncle said:

	... I cannot connect the dots to Bob Marley and the Wailers.
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October 18, 2012
Votes: +0

nimrod's leftist uncle said:

	... (6)Presidential box at Ford's Theater?
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October 18, 2012
Votes: +2

Marty said:

	... Re: the title, don't tell us J. Lock is involved in this somehow? In answer to your question about how Chip would get Molly to come forward, certainly the good nonpartisans at Breitbart would be interested in helping Chip make sure this scandal is exposed.
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October 18, 2012
Votes: +0

Chet said:

	nimrod's leftist uncle (6) nailed it.
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October 18, 2012
Votes: +0

big jake said:

... The material of the past 20 years is endless. We have overtaken Louisiana as the most corrupt state and with more bible thumpers(I have no idea where in the hell they came from). I really don't give a damn about Berg's personal stuff. I care about what his beliefs are----and they are just like Romney, et. al., they believe that this is their country and not ours. We are merely here to serve them. I may have posted this before, but it needs to be told over and over. 1902 George Baer, one of the most prominent mine owners in Pennsylvania, and one of J.P. Morgan’s top lawyers, published a letter declaring, “The rights and interests of the laboring man will be protected and cared for—not by labor agitators, but by the Christian men to whom God in his infinite wisdom has given control of the property interests of the country.” It should not only scare the hell out of us while we find the resolve to send them into the trashbin of history.

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October 18, 2012
Votes: +4

Bootsy said:

	Whoa! Are you suggesting that a senator from north dakota assaulted a powderpuff football playing mployee of a certain iowa state grad? A consultant on k street, l.v.h? Molly mcgollyyoucouldhavedisguisedhernamebetter? UNFOUDED! Whats 160 and change among friends?
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October 19, 2012
Votes: +0

Marty said:

	to Bootsy No, silly. He's a congressman.
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October 19, 2012
Votes: +1

Scofield at Segway Tours said:

	Re I hate politics and around everything of politics. Otherwise I'll try to
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October 20, 2012 | url
Votes: +0

bob said:

	You're killing me here... How about throwing us a bone? Just a little nugget of info? Maybe some more clues so we can do a little Google investigations on our own?
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October 20, 2012
Votes: +0

Chet said:

Two other comments: The two comments we lost here were as follows: **************** nimrod's leftist cousin (on October 21st) said: ... Natty Dreadlocks. ************************ and ************************ Tundra (on October 23rd) said: Ideas. I think Micheal Douglas should play Hamlet, he seems to be more of a slimy pay-people-off-to-succeed type. His personal life shows that he does appreciate younger women, so you could consider this typecasting. On a sidenote, did you see him in The Game, he was great in that movie. He played some sort of a rich slum-lord that spent large amounts of money for cheap thrills didn't he? I could be wrong. I think Mila Kunis might be a better Molly as well. Still a brunette, but has a stronger personality. I would think that Molly would have a strong personality, and for some reason I picture her more a Kunis type. To get her to play a role like this, though, you would have to be one of The Lucky. Knot because she wouldn't want to, but I think she is busy lately and might have bigger plans. **************** Sorry about the downtime...

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October 23, 2012
Votes: +0

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