The Involuntary Ghostwriter, the first book in The Ghostwriter Series, consists of overlapping narrative threads. It is in part a coming of age story - but the coming of age of who? This is confusing even to the Ghostwriter, Jonathon Fry, since it begins as that of his own childhood and coming of age, until parts begin to morph, and his story is ultimately hijacked completely. He wakes from an erotic dream, finds his thoughts filled with memories that are not his own, and he finds he is no longer reflecting on his own early life, but writing/ghostwriting an epic tale claiming be that of God, or the Creator, as He prefers. Jonathon's internal battle and confusion over what he feels compelled to write, versus the truth of his own life as he remembers it, continues, until he finally gives in and comes to terms with the belief that he is writing fiction, since it couldn't possibly be The Word of God - he is an agnostic! But, who knows the source of inspiration or the capacity of the imagination to create?The Ghostwriter Series is the result of a collision between the lyrics of a song and a promise the author's mother made when he was a child. The song is 'One of Us', was written by Eric Bazillion, recorded in the 90s by Joan Osborne, then latter by Alanis Morrissette. The lyrics: "What if God was one of Us?" My mother's promise: "When you grow up, you can be anything you want to be." Little did she know he'd take her so literally, since both the lyrics and that promise resonated in his thoughts for many years, until he found he was asking himself the inverse of the initial question: "What if one of us was God?"The central narrative running through the three books of The Ghostwriter Series is that of the autobiography of God, or a fictional, irreverent, alternative version thereof. It begins, as it should, "In the beginning...," with the perverse twist of adding, "I was born." The second narrative thread of The Involuntary Ghostwriter is that of the Ghostwriter, Jonathon Fry, and his experience as the conduit or creator of this epic saga, but also his facing the approach of his later years, the impact on his marriage of his waking from an erotic dream of another woman and telling his wife about it, leading to his internal battle whether to continue to be the man the morality of his upbringing shaped him to be - when he'd long rejected the faith that had been its source.
Douglas Debelak has a degree in philosophy from Youngstown State University. He put his earlier literary aspirations on hold when his family responsibilities required a job with an income. He taught himself to write software instead and has had a successful career as a software engineer. But, he always promised himself he'd return to his dream of writing a novel. Mr. Debelak now lives with his wife in a beautiful old house, in a wonderful historic neighborhood, where he loves sitting on the front porch with a bottle of wine, inciting parties and asking questions, especially his favorites, the ubiquitous "What if...?" The Involuntary Ghostwriter, his debut novel, was published in December 2016 by Dark Ink Press. The Ghostwriter's Wife, the second book in the Ghostwriter Series, was also published by Dark Ink Press in May 2017. The Ghostwriter's Legacy, the third book followed in December 2017.
