by Russell Alan Ligeikis
McCarthy! Frozen USA! Located approximately 250-miles SE of Anchorage, AK the former Kennecott Copper mining town (deserted in 1938) at the foot of the Wrangell Mountains it is home to more bears than people. It is also the setting of a novel in progress, the home of Terrance "Top Cat" and Jenny Campbell's new McCarthy Adventures lodge and air strip. Guests at the lodge are asked to bring fresh veggies to supplement the local diet and plenty of cash ($1500 per week for food and lodging alone, adventures extra). They are also asked to lend a hand chopping firewood or working on the addition if they don't mind, and expected to sing, dance or whatever for their supper.
Terrance, Jenny and fellow bush pilot Steve Hawthorne have taken it on themselves to help keep up the historical areas nearby and to turn their once-small lodge into a pricey adventure resort in order to boost the local economy - when they're not busy bush flying.
Current guests are just arriving. They include:
Aaron Clark Erwin Abelard and Joy Powers. Abelard is an internationally acclaimed Poet/Playwright and founder of the StarBright Foundation. Powers is a once famous news magazine anchor who was dumped by her ex-husband/producer after 25-years for a starlett, and by her network. They plan to marry in McCarthy - away from media attention.
Amara Maria Abelard - She's there on an all expense paid trip courtesy of her brother, to perform the ceremony and get away from the pressure of life in the famous National Cathederal where she is normally in charge of youth services and everyone calls her "Mother Amy."
Dr. Daria "Dee" Powers and Dr. Ray Douglas - The successful products of Joy's first marriage. "Dee" is an exogeologist, astrophysicist and SETI searcher. Ray is a convective physicist for NOAA and a Greenpeace activist on leave from Antarctica. Both have come up for the wedding and to "find themselves."
Faith and Errol Fernandino - Newlyweds, each famous in their own right. Faith, a.k.a. Faith Aaron was one of the most celebrated actresses on Broadway or anywhere else in the world until she quit after You've Got To Believe closed following a five-year "SRO every show" Broadway run. An active member of StarBright, she and Joy have recently renewed a friendship that had been estranged for more than fifteen years. Errol Fernandino is a celebrated explorer and conservationist in search of one last adventure.
Clarence Baldwin and Dr. Donna Lawrence - These two SoulMates from Atlanta are both on official assignments. Clarence is one of the best videographers in the Geographic stable there to shoot recent glacial melts in Wrangell/St. Elias National Park. Dr. Lawrence is there to record observations on how bush pilots and their families handle stress for a study by American Biophysics and the Air Force. One problem. They're not married yet, and she dated ACE Abelard for eighteen months. Neither was fully able to "forget" the other.
Edward "Shake" Morton - Terrance's "back seat (Weapons Systems Officer)" in Nam, now fighting Angelman's Ataxia which threatens his stunt and air show flying career. He's hoping that "Top Cat" will need a "Top Gun" hunter and first rate mechanic.
Susan Mitchell and Pat Ferrell - A first rate, feisty environmental attorney, Mitchell is there to gather evidence for several trials and to defend the local environment as well as the current way of life. Her boyfriend, a struggling environmental photographer is looking for his taste of national media attention.
See what happens to these characters as the story develops. Of course, there is always room for one more and you never know whether or not the Adventures help you Discover whatever you need to Learn until you try them. Don't worry about the $1500 per week. Friends stay free.
Hopefully, development of this site will begin before June, 2000 and will include chat capabilities among other features. Will it actually turn into a novel? Too early to tell, but you might be instrumental in its progress.