With the advent of the final Harry Potter book, it's time to say that we need more fiction in American newspapers and news Web sites. No, Virginia, I do not mean fictionalized or fabricated news of the kind that leads to the big crash and burn. I mean real fiction, short stories or serialized novels of the kind that ran in newspapers and magazines early in the 20th century.
O Henry, where art thou?
Just last Sunday a brilliant piece of fiction appeared on the pages of my favorite newspaper, the
St. Pete Times. It was the work of book editor Colette Bancroft, a credible epilogue to the Harry Potter series, as if penned by J.K. Rowling. Here's a taste:
It took Hermione a little while to climb the stairs to the highest tower. She stepped from the dark passage into a small round room washed in brilliant sunlight.
Its tall windows were open to the breeze. On one ledge perched Fawkes, Albus Dumbledore's scarlet phoenix, crooning his lovely, haunting song.
In the center of the room lay Harry Potter, fast asleep. He wore a simple student's robe, and on his chest, rising and falling slightly with his breath, was half of a silver locket.
This is brilliant stuff and must have been among the most discussed stories in the paper. And what a cool way to mark one of the greatest publishing events of all time.
I've written an unpublished newspaper novel titled "Trash Baby."
Here's the first of 15 short chapters, each taking just a few minutes to read. Let me know if you'd like to see more of it.
