For the last eight months I’ve been working on a series of novels for young adults entitled Duke Miller: Food Critic! Inspired by the great Tintin books, my collection promises invigorating, inspiring and exciting mysteries for Tweeners and emerging foodies of all ages. Hopefully Duke will one day be made into a movie, a TV series and a Broadway play, always providing me with steady revenue streams from the sale of apparel, memorabilia, figurines and trading cards.
Here are a couple of book synopses that I’ve prepared for my publisher:
“Duke Miller and the mystery of the over-spiced and runny eggs.”
Duke, a young American food critic, is the sort of man who always knows where he’s going. He’s not afraid to send food back or say something that he believes about homosexuals, even if it’s not politically correct to do so. Duke, combining the brash individualism of the US with the delicate sophistication of Europe, travels the world reviewing restaurants with his constant companion, a miniature pot-bellied pig named Clipper.
In this introductory novel, Duke encounters a plate of over-spiced and runny eggs while on a trip in France, and investigates the mystery of how this happened. I do not want to give away the ending, but a flashlight plays a key role in solving the mystery!
“Duke Miller and that hostess from Montreal.”
In this transitional book, Duke investigates his romantic feelings for Audrey, an older, seductive hostess from a Montreal bistro. However, it turns out that Audrey is not really in love with Duke but just wants to secure a good review for her restaurant, something that Clipper cottons on to long before Duke. In the end, ‘Ce Coeur De Mien’ gets the review it deserves and Duke and Clipper are once again set on their happy, wandering ways.
“Duke Miller and the mystery of why the coffee tasted like jalapenos.”
Set in the exotic local of Cuba, this novel features a sub-plot of a resort worker—Freddy– who wishes to escape the terrible food and totalitarian regime of Cuba. Duke, investigating the mystery of the coffee, stumbles upon Freddy, who was being forced by a mean, tourist-hating chef to grind hot peppers into the coffee beverage served at the resort. Duke, shocked, agrees to help Freddy escape. Things go well until Duke discovers Freddy is a homosexual, at which point Duke’s morals will no longer permit him to help.
