A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Columbine

[Pab Sungenis]

Six years ago, frustrated with the state of bullying and school violence in our country, I wrote a novel: the story of four boys who plan to get back at their tormentors by faking a Columbine-style school shooting. And just to be different, I made it a black comedy.

For the longest time, it seemed like every time I started getting a nibble on the manuscript, there would be a new round of shootings (Dawson College, Nickel Mines, Virginia Tech, and so on). The publisher or agent would suddenly decide that the manuscript was radioactive and pass on it in short order. One editor at a major publishing house actually E-mailed me directly (not through my agent) saying she loved my book but couldn't touch it with a ten foot pole.

The book has spent six years effectively in my bottom drawer, gathering electronic dust. It caused me to part ways with my literary agent. It frustrated me to no end that this story I'd spent the better part of a year on would forever go unread.

Now with bullying back in the spotlight, and people once more refusing to learn the lessons of the past, I've taken matters into my own hands.



"A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Columbine" is now available through Amazon for the Kindle. A Nook version should be available in the next few days from B&N and other formats may follow if demand requires.

Description:

Seeking revenge against a bunch of high school bullies, redress from an intransigent school system, and escape from their mundane lives, Jake and his friends Mick, Topher, and Whitey make plans to stage a mock Columbine-style school shooting, fake their deaths, and get out of the country. An audacious plan, but planned meticulously down to the last detail....

...except for one boy oversleeping, one stuck babysitting his 12 year-old brother, their getaway car being towed with the guns in the trunk, encounters with protesting mothers and bizarre cultists, and the annoying fact that no one bothered to bring any bullets.

As obstacle after obstacle is thrown in their path, the boys reassess their plans and their friendships. And when they finally make it to school, things really get interesting.

Now available on Kindle for just $2.99: http://amzn.to/vaJoQU