Downers Grove Resident Publishes 5th Work of Fiction

Downers Grove Resident John M. McNamara announces the publication of his 5th work of fiction, the novel "The Dreams of Teddy Schreck."

"The Dreams of Teddy Schreck" focuses on a retired salesman, who obsesses about retaining his mental acuity. Dreading the loss of memories of the people, events and milestones of his life, he augments his specialized diet with herbal supplements and specific vitamins designed to postpone, perhaps even eliminate, the chance of developing dementia. One website advises writing a long-hand journal to keep the brain elastic and active. The possible subject of this journal eludes Teddy until one night, when he dreams of cataloging his dreams. The following day he makes his first of many entries in his dream journal. He mentions the project to his neighbor, Bill, a retired historian, who suggests expanding the scope to include Teddy's aspirations from his early life. Teddy agrees.

Bill and his wife, Margaret, have been life-long friends of the Schrecks. Margaret anonymously authors an atheist blog, which attracts the anger of a religious zealot, who in his threatening comments on the blog indicates he not only knows Margaret's identity, but where she lives. Teddy interjects himself into the conflict, for a variety of reasons, but mostly to fulfill his aspiration to be a hero...for once in his life. His wife and daughters caution him, but he ignores their advice. Events unfold with tragic consequences for both families.

About the Author
John M. McNamara's short fiction has been published in Crosscurrents, Old Hickory Review, The Piedmont Literary Review, Minotaur, Snapdragon, Four Quarters, FlashFiction, Quick Fiction, Bear River Review, Inside Running and Chicago Literati.

In the summer of 1999, he was awarded a professional artist residency at the OxBow Summer Arts Program for the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in Saugatuck, Michigan. He lives in Downers Grove, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, with his wife.

He is the author of the novels "Madonna, "The Dreams of Teddy Schreck," "Harmony House, A Final Reflection," "A Life Without Grace," and "Hunter's War, A Novella, and Selected Short Stories." All are available from Amazon.com.

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