I am excited to announce that a revised and fully edited version of Winifred (Infinity Publishing) will be released on Friday, November 14. Its wonderful, quirky humor, moments of dark despair and sweet sentimentality will still shine through and fans of the original version will love this edition even more. Winifred is a story about faith and serendipity in the relationship of two lost souls each working out their own destiny and growing together into a family.

FROM THE BACK COVER:

In his debut novel, Winifred, Charles R. Souby tells the story of a despondent, cynical, middle-aged widower who finds salvation and a purpose for living in the unlikely form of a young woman struggling with drug addiction, among other demons. What looks to be a May-December romance gets turned on its ear by a stunning revelation.  Instead, Winifred is an unconventional love story filled with shocking twists and turns. With suspense and empathy for its deeply troubled and flawed characters, Winifred unfolds a fascinating, complicated human drama while raising intriguing questions about the role of fate and the meaning of family.

Announcing: A Shot of Malaria and Winifred - the screenplay

Good news!  I have completed my second novel, A Shot of Malaria as well as a screenplay rendition of my first novel, Winifred.  I am currently seeking representation for both works.

A Shot of Malaria

Written in a deadpan first person narrative (think of Huckleberry Finn as a heroin addict in a Denis Johnson novel), A Shot of Malaria is the dark, ironic and comical story of Daniel Martin, a San Francisco street musician struggling with alcoholism and heroin addiction, who decides to pursue his life's dream of having a girlfriend over the Christmas Holidays.

His efforts to clean up are as dark as his addiction and his world is rocked by the deaths of several friends, a felony arrest, a series of psychotic episodes, a suicide attempt and finally a family intervention.

The story is gritty and emotionally challenging, but is inhabited by dozens of colorful characters who both support and thwart Daniel's journey.  A Shot of Malaria is grippingly realistic in both its ugliness and triumph of the human spirit.

An editor writes:

Fans of Raymond Carver, James St. James, Jack Kerouac and Chuck Palahniuk, will flock to this book to feed off its twisted, poignant truth and wrap themselves in the exquisiteness of the modern beatnik prose. Souby has immortalized an era and shared with us the journey out of purposelessness. Trouble escalates on every page and readers are wrenched through enriched senses, emotions, and psychosis.
- Devin Tipton

Winifred

Winifred has received a number of great reviews on Amazon.com and I've constantly received recommendations that the book should be turned into a screenplay.  

For those unfamiliar with the novel, Winifred is the story of Winifred Mueller, the orphan daughter of a prostitute, who longs to form a lasting relationship with her birth father, Rayleigh Stern, whom she serendipitously discovers.  But is the best-selling author, who is still grieving the recent loss of his wife, willing and able to handle a daughter, especially when that daughter is a 22-year-old recovering meth addict?  How are Winifred and Rayleigh and those around them affected by their struggle, and how do they grow?

These are the issues I explore in my dark, yet sweet screenplay.  The story has the edgy and quirky humor of American Beauty and Juno and moves with a strong rhythm.  

I am excited about the future of both works and look forward to hearing from anybody interested in contacting me.

Email me

'Winifred' now available on shelves in Marin

Winifred can now be purchased at Book Passages and Barnes & Noble in Corte Madera, as well as Books Inc. in San Francisco.

Also available on line and for order at books stores everywhere.

Click below to purchase Winifred online

AuthorHouse.com
Hardcover, Paperback and Ebook

Amazon.com
Hardcover, paperback and Kindle

Barnes and Noble
Hardcover, paperback and Nook Book

Google Books
Ebook format

Winifred at AuthorHouse.com

Winifred is available in hardcover, paperback and ebook.

Thanks again for everybody who came out for the reading in San Francisco! A special thanks to Books Inc. for hosting.

I am currently working on scheduling a reading for Marin County and hopefully some more interviews.

Special Thanks

I just want to thank everybody who came out to Books Inc. for my reading and signing on April 5th. It was a lot of fun!

Here are a couple of interviews I think you'll like. One is for the podcast version Winifred on PodioRacket:

http://www.podioracket.com/main/2011/04/05/podioracket-charles-souby-and-mark-coggins/

Also, here is an interview I did on KPFA Radio in Berkeley on their program, Cover to Cover:

http://www.kpfa.org/archive/id/68753