The Cover Up Novel Part Sixteen

For the last six months Drake had arranged for a modified work week. He now only worked the evening shift from Monday to Thursday. He now had a three day weekend. The new schedule was recommended by Drake's doctor. Drake's had high blood pressure that was now under control with the help of medication. When his doctor considered Drake's age his obesity and the stressful nature of his work, he thought that a reduced work week would be in Drake's best interest.

When Drake was working five evenings per week he found that he was getting increasingly tired and was totally exhausted by the weekend. He would spend most of Saturday and Sunday taking naps. Drake didn't have any time for his hobbies which were mostly of an artistic nature.

Drake liked to play his guitar. He didn't have great finger dexterity but had mastered playing power chords. This well suited Drake's musical tastes as he loved the music of Motorhead and The Ramones. Drake loved to crank up his Marshall amplifier and rock out making up his own riffs as he went along.

Recently, Drake had taken up a new interest, writing fiction. This came about sort of accidentally when Drake needed material for plays for his drama class. Most of the plays that Drake found were not suitable to the needs of his clients. As a solution to this problem, Drake began writing original plays. The majority of the plays that he wrote were comedies. When he used these in his drama classes his students responded well to them.

Drake had been an avid reader since he was a young boy. He had always loved books and magazines. Due to the success that he experienced with his plays, Drake considered trying his hand at writing some short stories, novellas and novels during his free time. Although he worked hard at his writing, Drake had no idea how hard and how much work went into writing good fiction. He found that he would need to read even more than he had before taking up his new hobby. Drake had always enjoyed the work of Stephen King and began re-reading several of Mr. King's older novels and short stories. He also read Stephen King's more recent releases such as Under the Dome and 22-11-63. Drake paid particular attention to King's use of characterization as he read his works.

Drake also re-read the novels of Ken Kesey who became a sixties counterculture icon through his portrayal in Tom Wolfe's, The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test book.