Charlie Walks: A Novel Chapter 1

Charlie starts a new job. Meets Sarah. And tells her what he hasn’t told anyone yet.

What would you write about yourself?

This is the first chapter of my new and first novel, Charlie Walks, the story of a machine learning engineer who wants to be writer. The digital versions are out today (print coming later in the year).

Over the next seven days, I’m going to be posting a chapter a day. This is the first.

1

1. I’ve died twice.

We were told to write down two facts about ourselves on Post-it Notes and stick them to our hands. One of those team-building exercises. The ones some might call awkward, but I loved these situations, when everyone feels like worms are in their stomach. Worms made me feel alive.

What the hell, I thought. I hadn’t told anyone but now seemed like a good time. I put the first one down and then the second, then got up and started to walk around.

I circled the room reading and talking to others about what they wrote about themselves.

I’ve got two dogs.

I practice kickboxing.

I harvest honeybees.

I’m a rock climber.