Dirty Work at the Crossroads
Twenty years ago when I was drinking at the Grand View in the company of the late John Lester discussion frequently turned to the consequences should Lester achieve his ambition to take out the Lotto. Being of a speculative nature, I began to suggest various scenarios, some of which found their way into Dirty Work At The Crossroads. While there isn’t that much actual Dirty Work at the old Crossroads Motel per se, the title gives the possibility of sequels about Desperate Days, Dire Deeds or Damnable Degeneracy that suggest a certain je ne sais quoi.
The Denison Saga
When I began the first draft of Dirty Work it was obvious if I based the story in something that resembles the actual town of Bowen there would be problems so I reshaped the landscape between Cape Upstart and Gloucester Island to accommodate a town built on a headland sheltering a body of water still known as Port Denison. For years I’ve felt that there’s a sweeping historical saga waiting to be written about North Queensland, and by creating an entity that fits into an existing landscape and history I might be able to come up with something along those lines. The Denison Saga (provisional title) is a start, but will need research if the bare bones are going to be fleshed out.
The Alien Story
I’m amazed by the fascination people have with the possibility of intelligent life somewhere out there since any civilization with the technology to travel across space and time will be way beyond anything we are likely to develop in the immediate future, so I would have thought that when contact is eventually established it will bring a whole range of problems human society isn’t going to be able to absorb without being irrevocably changed and, more than likely, changed for the worse. As I thought these things over, I turned my thoughts to the most likely scenarios where such contact would occur. What sort of expedition would it be? Would it be an official mission or is it more likely to be some sort of privateer voyage? The nature of the expedition will be a major influence on events once contact has been made. But will things always be the way they seem? And, if they aren’t, how will we find that out? My take on the possibilities is currently incomplete, but if you’re interested, feel free to drop me a line.
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