The Guardian of Detritus

Something snaps when failed rock musician and disgraced reporter Will Harkanen reads an obituary for an old friend who died in a car crash in Detroit. On the far side of middle age and the brink of divorce, Will quits his boring job to reconnect with his past and pursue the dreams of his youth. In doing so he unravels an ugly mess of blackmail, bribery and corruption that may have led to his friend's death. As Will chases his dreams, he realizes too late that his dreams are chasing him.

In The Guardian of Detritus, a disillusioned ex-reporter finds himself living his dreams and fighting for his life when he reconnects with old friends and uncovers a political scandal that has escalated into murder. Will Harkanen has "turned to the dark side" doing corporate PR when a random back-to-back reading of a book review and an obituary causes him to quit his job in spectacular fashion. Not quite sure if he has had a breakthrough or a breakdown, he decides that after a lifetime of compromises and excuses, he is ready to pursue his dreams without restraint or regret. While trying to reconcile with members of the rock and roll band he was kicked out of decades ago, he finds himself helping a former lover reexamine a tragedy from the band's past that still haunts the present. His efforts land him on the set of a movie, scrambling through the ruins of Detroit, trying to stay alive long enough to salvage the ruins of his life. Struggling to avenge past, present and future injustices, he finds his youthful dreams coming true and his old age nightmares just beginning.

Chuck Snearly is an award-winning writer whose work includes books, speeches, annual reports, web content, video scripts, press releases, brochures, ad copy and more. Prior to forming his communications consulting company, Speech Right, Inc., he worked in public relations at Ford Motor Company for 30 years, including 14 years as Chief Speechwriter, writing more than 1,000 speeches for senior executives. He also served as the primary speechwriter for Bill Ford, Executive Chairman, Ford Motor Company, for 28 years. He has written one non-fiction book, Speech Right, which is used as a speechwriting textbook in college classes. He has also written two novels, The Guardian of Detritus and Far Out Man, both are crime mysteries that take place in Detroit and are centered on the Wayne State campus. Mr. Snearly specializes in speechwriting. His clients have included Ford Motor Company, Royal Dutch Shell, the Bosch Group, Dean Foods and the University of Detroit Mercy. He has written speeches for the senior executives of two of the top five biggest companies in the world, six chairmen of the board, a famous/infamous Detroit politician and a member of British Parliament. In addition to working as a freelance speechwriter, he has done communications consulting with the Detroit Economic Club and guest lectured at the University of Michigan, Albion College and Indiana University. Mr. Snearly has won numerous awards, including Award of Excellence for Speechwriting, International Association of Business Communicators; Grand Prize Winner for Annual Report Letter, International ARC Awards; First Place for Narrative Presentation, Annual Report Competition, American Business Communicators; Award of Excellence, Video Documentary, 13th Annual Communicator Awards.