Diary of a Heretic, a novel

Once, years ago, I woke up with a full-fledged character in my head–as close I’ve gotten to real inspiration. A huge boost! And yet, writing his story took many years. Malcolm is wild, insecure, anxious, easily manipulated, hyper-sensitive, and charismatic.

My husband finds this novel hilarious, as intended. Unintended, however, is a resemblance between Malcolm and me. Once Manny pointed out the traits and tendencies we share (charisma aside), I had to concede. But even if my charismatic heretic is purely an extension of myself, his  story of being goaded into starting a cult religion, Religion Without Rules, just isn’t going to happen to me.