'Amanda's War'

The action begins with a subplot - the shooting of an industrialist's bodyguard. The industrialist had been receiving threatening letters from extortionists. After the introduction of the 4 main adult characters - Haakon and Maria Sovant, Pamela and Sergio Molina - all bodyguards who are all ex-CIA agents - we meet young Amanda Molina and her two-year-old brother, Al.

The novel unfolds with narrative in the present and with a few flashbacks into the lives of the main characters.

'Amanda's War' is similar to Robert Altman's film '3 Women,' starring Sissy Spacek and Shelley Duvall, in the sense that both deal with the theme of people changing after traumatic incidents. At the end of 'Amanda's War' the reader is left to speculate if Haakon has changed, after a traumatic incident, because of benevolent natural forces or because of malevolent supernatural forces. I'm not saying there's a right answer. I mean it's just fiction, just a work of the imagination, and I haven't bothered to invent an ending to the novel which clarifies the matter. I'm more interested in giving readers something to think about rather than tying up the story with a lovely ribbon and a pretty bow. I want something which will linger, something which will live on with the reader after he / she finishes the novel. Obviously love is wonderful and beautiful when it comes naturally. Now if the intoxicating euphoria of love is obtained by witchcraft, by sick, twisted sorcery; by hellish, unholy, diabolical and infernal practices, well, it's still an intoxicating euphoria, but the love will come at a terrible price. So, of course, all of this talk of beautiful love and sweet euphoria and dark sorcery is a way for a writer to enliven his Young Adult novel, and those of us who write novels ask readers to please suspend your disbelief for awhile, and indulge us with your fleeting credulity as you sample our spells and enchantments...