The Flower Lover (A Novel) & Other Works by Peter Stekel
Over the years, I have edited a number of literary works by the Seattle-based, nationally acclaimed author and journalist Peter Stekel.
In addition to having written hundreds of articles on a wide variety of topics for dozens of newspapers and magazines, Stekel has written numerous short stories and novels, a number of which I have had the pleasure of copy-editing, proofreading, and/or critiquing, including:
- The Flower Lover, a detective novel: Journalist Richard Garcia investigates the disappearance of a rare cultivated orchid. Garcia’s queries lead him to uncover a clandestine group that is illegally selling munitions and stolen Soviet nukes on the black market.
- Collateral Damage, a detective novel: This erotic thriller examines the themes of innocence lost and redemption. It does so against a backdrop of incest and corruption with a protagonist (Richard Garcia, in his first novel) disillusioned enough to survive in a modern world but still capable of believing in, and acting on, a traditional concept of honor.
- Growing Up White in the Sixties, a fictional memoir: Paralleling the turbulent civil rights era, Growing Up White in the Sixties is the coming-of-age story of Steven Abrams as he learns how prejudice affects the people he loves.
- Inland, a short story: Inspired by Stekel’s having observed children as a teacher and later a school administrator, this is the story of Frank and Joe, two boys who explore a strange underground world in search of their cat, Bougainvillaea. Along the way they encounter a different culture: one that thrives upon onions. The people of “Inland” are rewarded by their society with verbal praise, which makes them grow in stature. Seeing this as a way to rule over his fellow Inlanders, the “Big Cheese” encourages his friends to give him praise until he is of big enough stature that he takes over. Frank and Joe save the day when they are able to cut the Big Cheese down to size.
Recently, Stekel has had published Best Hikes Near Seattle, A Falcon Guide, featuring more than 40 of the best hikes in the greater Seattle metro area and pointing locals and visitors alike to trailheads within an hour’s drive of the city.
Currently, Peter Stekel is under contract with Wilderness Press to write Final Flight, about the mysterious events leading up to and the military and personal ramifications resulting from the crash of a World War II airplane. An avid hiker, Stekel made national news when he discovered the remains of one of the airmen in a melting glacier, high up in the Sierra Nevada mountains, in 2007. Final Flight is scheduled to be published in late 2009 or early 2010.
“All authors ... are in need of good editors. During the review process for ... my novels I was fortunate enough to have Douglas Drenkow working as my copy editor. ... With fine attention to detail ... Mr. Drenkow’s editing skills greatly strengthened and enhanced my work. His comments and suggestions were deep and insightful.”
The Flower Lover is “a stunning debut novel!”
— The Los Angeles Post-Intelligencer
The Flower Lover is “one of the year’s best! A must read.”
— New York Journal of Writers
“The Flower Lover has a complex, convoluted plot and is fast-paced and cinematic. It keeps readers excited and turning pages all the way to the end.”
— Seattle Books and Movies in Review
