The Blind Kangaroo

A Novel written by Tenzin McGrupp

Thursday, November 13, 2003

Thoughts from the author...

Here's an excerpt from an e-mail I wrote to my friend Jerry:

"I think (The Blind Kangaroo) is my most mature novel yet. I have tried to shy away from some of the outlandish sexual connotations and explicit drug use of the first two novels.... and tried to have more serious tone to the overall content. The characters are just as wild, but more real, in an attempt to expose certain themes like image, identity and fame. In that aspect, I think I reached an emotional level of maturity in my writing. I'm not writing just to write, because I actually have something to say in this one... mostly social commentary with regard to image.

I also found myself being more concise than I have ever been. I know when and when not to go off on a tangent. I guess reading a lot of Hemingway the last few months rubbed off on me! We'll see, Ithink some hardcore fans will not like this book as much as Jack Tripper Stole My Dog and Sweet Nothing (a.k.a. Baby & Winky), but it will be the best written book of my short career... I just dont think it will be as popoular! Stay tuned!!!"


And of course, Jerry responded with this e-mail:

"You may be surprised by you readers; because, they (we) are growing as readers the same way and may appreciate the different approach and maturity. Hey don't get me wrong, I love the sex and drug-capades - but I think you are noticing that you can get there without explicitly telling us how. I am very excited to read the new one - and still discuss Sweet Nothing."

Tuesday, November 11, 2003

Chpater 1...

The first chapter of The Blind Kangaroo is over 15,200 words. There are seven chapters in all. Act I of the novel is Chapter 1 and that's it!

Bone Fragment #2

Here's a second excerpt. Enjoy!

I imagined Adriana sipping a huge fruity cocktail in a trendy L.A. bar like Little Pedro's Blue Bongo with a slew of other assistants, all worn out from a long day of being a lap dog to the stars, sharing their bad days and ranting about their famous employers.

"It was 3 AM and he wanted sushi," one young guy with slicked back hair and a perfect tan moaned.

"That was nothing! It was 4 PM and he wanted a hooker. We were in the middle of the Redwoods on location, and he demanded that he wanted his cock sucked in between scenes. You know hard it was to get a hooker to come all the way out to the middle of nowhere like that? Those fuckin' Baldwins," a fellow jaded assistant added before she downed a shot of tequila.

"I had to get her fucking dog the perfect outfit for a stupid pool party. It was a nightmare. I had to take forty-seven different outfits on and off her fucking poodle," Adriana mused.

Daily Word Count

Day 1: 5827
Day 2: 4767
Day 3: 7887
Day 4: 4849
Day 5: 6371
Day 6: 5002
Day 7: 5814
Day 8: 7579
Day 9: 5425
Final Word Count: 53,667

Bone Fragment #1

Here is the first excerpt for your enjoyment:

I had never been to Aruba before, but I imagined it was warm, had lots of sun, palm trees, and sandy beaches with crystal blue waters rolling up on the shores where scantly clad women drenched in oil tanned themselves, and tons of little islands kids with big bright smiles, in yellow t-shirts and aqua shorts, ran around trying to sell tourists trinkets and other useless souvenirs. Somewhere on the island there was an office cooled by high ceiling fans, with a fat goomba cast-off from the Sopranos, flipping the remote control on a series of televisions with different sporting events.

Final Word Count = 53,667