Mr. Canary
by
Book Details
About the Book
Mr. Canary
One day, Charley remembers that the Watchers sometimes helps earth people, so he hurries off to see the Watchers and meets Krong who agrees to help him make a magic microphone which will correct his flawed voice so that he can sing correctly, which it does and Charley goes off and makes it very big in the singing world.
Everything goes well for Charley until he lets his fame and fortune go to his head, which turns him into a real jerk. He loses his friends and the people who work for him do so just for the money, which is very big for Charley because he sings so well.
People notice that Charley never sings except into his special mike, which make them wonder, but no one catches on that he can't sing well without it.
Charley, of course, can't understand why people are so mean to him, he hasn't done anything to anyone. He's like the drunk who won't admit he's a drunk.
Feeling down and blue, Charley goes down to the Huntington Beach pier to get away from it all for awhile, then he meets Linda Doolittle on the pier. Linda was the earth receptionist he talked to in the Space Needle when he went to see Krong months and months ago. He doesn't remember Linda, but she remembers him. She had followed his career from its beginning. Linda tells him who she is and they have a good time remembering when Charley came to the Space Needle. Charley suggests some coffee, mostly for something to do, so they take off and have some coffee and then a slow stroll around town. Afterwards, they take a ride in Charley's new Corvette, ending up at Linda's place a few blocks from the beach. From that accidental meeting, Charley and Linda get together, ending up as lovers. Charley has to get back to his singing career, so he leaves Linda, but comes back later and they go together until Linda finds our what a complete jerk Charley is when he is putting on his show and leaves him.
Some young thugs steal his special mike, which puts Charley out of business, so he hurries to the Watcher and gets another one. The Watchers never allow anyone to do anything to them or steal one of their machines so Starr, a beautiful young Watcher (see my novel Sex Radio) is sent after the special mike, capturing the thugs and getting the mike back. The thugs retaliate and shoot Starr, Charley, and Linda while they are standing on the curb in New York after Charley and Linda sang in Carnagie Hall. Starr is almost killed; Linda is badly hurt; and Charley was shot in the throat damaging his vocal cords. He may never sing again! If you like singing and a great love story you will like Mr. Canary.
About the Author
Robert James Warner was born and raised in Long Beach, California. He went to the local schools. He was drafted in to the Navy on March 9, 1944, during the World War II as soon as he finished his last semester in High School. He was discharged from the Navy on June 16, 1946. Mr. Warner went back to school at Long Beach City College, on the G.I. Bill, taking Mechanical Engineering before he switched to journalism. After about a year and a half at City College, he quit. Mr. Warner had always been interested in writing, but he had huge handicaps to overcome: he couldn't spell (he still can't); and grammar was then and is now a mystery to him. Mr. Warner first began to write when he was about twenty. During the next few years, he wrote some songs, poetry, and short stories, but his output was quite low. From 1947, after Mr. Warner left City College, to 1950, he had a number of different inconsequential jobs--the longest, at Douglas Aircraft in Long Beach where he worked in the blueprint department for eight months until he quit and loafed awhile. In 1950, he enlisted in the Active Naval Reserve as a Weekend Warrior, so that he could learn seamanship and get paid doing it. He has had a life-long love affair with boats (building his own) and fishing. About three months later, the Korean War started and Mr. Warner was called back to active duty in the Navy Aircorp for a year. He was discharged in August 1951, serving on three aircraft carriers, operating off of Korea in the China Sea, bombing and strafing the communists! After Korea, Mr. Warner went back to City College for awhile, then got a job on a freighter as a deckhand. He then made two trips to the Hawaiian Islands, about thirty days round trip, hauling bulk sugar for C&H Sugar in Crocket California on the Sacramento River. Leaving the ship in Crocket, he went to Santa Rosa, California, where he washed dishes in a few restaurants and got a poem published in the local newspaper--a big day in his life. Next, he went to Yosemite and washed some more dishes before going home. Mr. Warner has cleaned chicken dung from under the pens; he owned and operated his own auto wrecking yard; owned his own 2nd Store; was half owner of a Yacht Landing; speculated in Real Estate; and worked at some other odd jobs, going to work for the Long Beach Fire Department in 1953 for the next twenty-six years, retiring in October, 1979. Mr. Warner got married in 1961, had his son in 1963, and got divorced in 1973. In 1974, Mr. Warner and his son, Jeff, drove to Alaska during the summer. On his return, Mr. Warner wrote his first novel. Since 1974, Mr. Warner has written 15 novels, about 125 short stories, 2 Civil War history books, and 2 poetry collections.