Date of Award

Spring 4-23-2019

Degree Type

Capstone

Degree Name

Master of Arts in Professional Writing (MAPW)

Department

English

Committee Chair/First Advisor

Dr. William Rice

Co-Chair

Dr. Sergio Figueiredo

Abstract

Falling from a high place into an unknown abyss of strange characters and even stranger events takes readers far further than Humpty Dumpty and into a cats-cradle of mystery and humor. Jonah Tinderwunkel, the protagonist, mistakenly cast a curse upon himself at the age of fourteen. Now, twenty-eight years later he is a high-tech loner and loser who finds himself seeking help after a great fall. With a cracked cranium and smashed ankle (talus), he stumbles into a small Florida town off the beaten track—home to a mix of retired circus workers. As he recedes into a coma, his fate lies in the hands of Sam, a physician; Jasper, Sam’s smart-ass sidekick; and Agnes, Sam’s ex-wife and witch. In their retirement, the men have taken to solving crimes for a hobby. Retirement is not cheap, so they want to break into crime writing. When they discover Jonah writes tinny detective novels, Sam and Jasper are mesmerized by the prospects of golden opportunities dangling, once Jonah awakes. Unfortunately for them, Jonah has several out-of-body experiences during the coma. As a detective comedy-drama with magical realism edginess, The Talus glows with humorous characters while grabbing the back of your neck. The Talus is a novel by Carol Roddenberry, set in current time in central Florida locations.

Included in

Fiction Commons

Share

COinS