Topics of conversation:

• Becoming a writer after a life-changing medical diagnosis
• The legacy of fatherless men
• Historical connection to 1943 US Army golf course takeover in Hollywood, CA
• Characters and themes of the book
• The mindset of a fiction writer

Shooting an Albatross
Steven R. Lundin
BookSurge (2009)
ISBN 9781439228005

Synopsis: Shooting an Albatross is a fast-paced and highly compelling novel based on historical fact. In 1943, we were at war and it was the only year in our history that the PGA canceled the full season of professional golf. It was also the year that the 170th Field Artillery Battalion of the U.S. Army took over the El Rancho Golf Course in Los Angeles, California, leaving the movie moguls living along the back side of the course torn between feeling disgruntled and patriotic.

When a gauntlet is thrown, a challenge match between an Army General and a Navy Admiral, the two golf novices choose partners with care. From the Army side comes Private Evan Wilkins, a highly skilled golfer from small-town Idaho. As the story unfolds, we discover that Private Wilkins has formed another pairing, this time with Amanda, the daughter of one of the neighboring film moguls. As their passions grow amid a backdrop of military jealousy, the deafening drum roll of war, and the heat of competition, we get a sense of foreboding. What follows is a psychological thriller worthy of the best war movies made, with resentment at the core and murder at the heart.

Steven Lundin lives in Hillsboro, Oregon. 2009 marks his fourth year of writing everyday from four a.m. until he leaves to work as Marketing Director, Vice President, and co-owner of a foundation engineering company. He holds an MBA, actuarial enrollment with both the Department of Labor and Department of Treasury, and recently completed his second novel--the sequel in his epic Albatross series.

In 2006, Steven began writing and emailing a series of email writings he used as a means to 1) learn and practice the art of writing, 2) develop a subconscious awareness of readers and 3) prepare for writing his first novel. He wrote 66 email writings, over ten short stories, and two full-length novels. His first short story won first place in a 2007 Authorlink short story contest.