Gary D Aker

Gary Aker lives in Portland, Or, where he pursues dance and photography, as well as his usual and unusual writing duties. He has published two novels, "Delusion" and "North Of Likely," which comprise a two-part series.

His great uncle, on his mother's side--by marriage, not by blood--is in baseball's Hall of Fame. His mother was an ER nurse and community theater actress. His father was a nuclear submarine design engineer. Born in Chicago, reared in Pittsburgh, he is proud to have dropped out of both Penn State and the University of Colorado in Boulder.

He has published poetry in myriad literary reviews, most recently in, "Eternal Haunted Summer," spring and summer issues. He has published short erotic stories and an excerpt of his first novel, "Delusion," in, "Gallery Magazine."

Three of the characters in, "Delusion," are prominent in his second novel, "North of Likely." It is not a traditional sequel, as the hero of the first, "Delusion," is not present in, "North of Likely," but is only mentioned off page. The hero of, "North of Likely," is a supporting character in, "Delusion." Paul Steiner and Alicia Mannion are prominent in both novels. One could say the two part series tells the 165,000 word story of Secret Service agent, Bob Taggart, who evolves into the criminal, John Taylor, before realizing his fateful end, following the parameters of the Hero's Journey.

"North of Likely" was developed through a writer's workshop, as well as his first crime novel, "Delusion."

He is currently working on a semi- autobiographical work of fiction, in the spirit of Jerzy Kosinski's, "Steps," whereby the chapters are virtually stand alone, and are not presented in chronological order, but form a mosaic whole.

He is also crafting his third crime novel, "The Black Pearl Necklace," starring, James Whitecarol--the junky, dumpster-diving, defective detective who lives in his office in San Francisco's Tenderloin. An excerpt from the novel-in-process appeared in, "The Alberta Street Review," Volume Two. The novel features a very unusual character who shares narration: a priceless, 18th century necklace strung from uncultured black pearls and round, gem-cut diamonds. The mysterious, one-of-a-kind, inanimate object lends the sardonic, transcendent, omnicient view of things, in succinct spacer chapters, strung into the novel like the diamonds in between the raw black pearls.

Mr. Aker has been: a juice bar/luncheonette owner, fine dining and private club waiter, onstage musician/vocalist, onstage dancer, actor's theater house and facility manager, adult magazine editor, blackjack dealer, cab driver, cook and countless other incarnations.

Mr. Aker has penned the following types of work for real cash money: advertising, both display and radio ads, public relations and brochures for profit and non-profit companies, numerology charts, actor and band bios, poetry, short stories, hundreds of articles on the following subject matter--band and music event reviews/previews, movie reviews, theater reviews, restaurant reviews, interviews, columnist social satire, political satire, absurdist humor, and investigative to name some over the years. When he writes a novel, he brings all of the above, living and writing experience, to his work, plus his childhood writing dreams hatched by his mother who was an avid fan of the crime novel and mystery/suspense.

One of his best friends, and bigger heart throbs from the 90s, was B-movie actress, Gabriella Hall, AKA, Laura Saldivar. She is his mind's eye model for the female protagonist of the same first name in, "The Black Pearl Necklace."

You may contact Mr. Aker: crimewriter34@yahoo.com

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Blog: http://garyaker.wordpress.com

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