The Times Advocate, 2008-11-19, Page 88
Times -Advocate
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Exeter author brings "death" to Grand Bend
By Pat Bolen
TIMES -ADVOCATE STAFF
EXETER While it may look as if he is
talking to himself while walking on the
MacNaughton Trail, Exeter resident Rick
Hundey is just recording ideas for his lat-
est writing project.
In fact, Hundey will hold a launch for his
first novel, Death at the Bend which he
will read from at the Exeter Library Nov
22 at 2 p.m.
Hundey was born in Windsor and has
had careers in community planning, man-
agement and consulting before ending his
consulting work in February 2007, quite
emphatically, by de -registering his busi-
ness and making writing his job.
Hundey finished Death at the Bend
in the summer and said he is pleased with
the way it came out.
Death at the Bend is a mystery sto-
ry about private investigator Jack Beer,
whose new client turns out to be a ghost
from Beer s own shameful past, with dirty
business deals, bike gangs, bullets, blows
and a woman scorned...and uncovers the
deadly secrets that lurk beneath the sur-
face of small town Grand Bend.
Hundey said placing the book in Grand
Bend wasn t accidental and should help
attract regional interest.
With its seasonal population, the location
may also attract a larger market, said Hun-
dey, whose only formal writing training
was a creative writing course at Fanshawe
College.
The best you can do is write and re-
write, he says.
I used to think you could just sit down
and write, but while there are writers that
can do it, they re unusual...you need a
plan, it s like everything else. If not you re
in trouble.
Hundey said he wasn t a good writer
when he was in high school. I had an
English teacher who was so good looking
it was hard to concentrate.
But when his children were young, Hun -
em.
He started entering writing contests be-
fore entering the Alice Munro Writers
Festival Short Story Contest in 2005 that
earned him first place.
Hundey, who belongs to a Huron Coun-
ty writers group which he said is great for
feedback, enjoys reading character -driven
mystery novels by authors such as Robert
Parker, Tony Hillerman, Elmore Leonard
and Walter Mosley.
Hundey said if he is on a roll he can write
six hours a day but if he hits a dry spell he
plays with parts that are already done.
Many of his ideas come while he is out
walking and he uses a recorder to take
notes before writing them down when he
returns home.
I don t have a schedule, says Hundey.
It s not a work week.
Finding a publisher was a frustrating
part of the process, said Hundey.
The most pleasurable part is to write
and see it in print; the other part doesn t
interest me.
Hundey found a local publisher named
FauxPop Media in Goderich through his
writers group and plans to market the
book through local libraries, book clubs
and the website.
To keep costs under control, 900 copies
of the book will be printed in three blocks
and Hundey said they will go from there.
While the book is set locally, Hundey
said it isn t based on any local residents,
with the main character of Beer, a sarcas-
tic, loyal, weird at times, former athlete
who is losing his hair and loves 70s rock
and roll, with the last trait the only one
Hundey said he has in common with Beer.
His significant other puts him in his
place...everybody lives with that, said
Hundey.
The fun part about writing mystery
novels, Hundey said, is asking what the
characters would do in certain situations
and while he knew who the murderer was
early on, there are some surprises and plot
twists in the book.
Latest work Exeter resident Rick Hundey holds up his novel, Death at the
Bend, which he recently completed. (photo/Pat Bolen)
Hundey said there were probably 10 ma-
jor rewrites on the latest work as well as
around 15 other projects on his computer
that haven t been completed.
It s hard without a game plan. You have
to know where its going...it s a skill and a
talent.
Family hoping to honour Ronalee Allen with orphanage in Kenya
By Ben Forrest
TIMES -ADVOCATE STAFF
SEAFORTH Exeter Public School
vice-principal Shawn Allen recalls a
Christmas in the early 1990s when his
wife, Ronalee, visited an orphanage in
Mexico.
She was just blown away with what
she saw in a positive way, he said in
an interview.
She always had hoped to be able to
do something (more), but her biggest
concern was if she ever went to Africa,
for example, to an orphanage there, she
wouldn t come back.
She would have stayed there and held
the babies and cared for them and nur-
tured and done whatever she could.
Ronalee, who died May 30 in a car
crash north of Hensall, is remembered
for her devotion to children not only
her own, but the over 150 foster children
she cared for over the years.
Her family and a number of their
friends hope to ensure her work con-
tinues by building an orphanage in her
honour in Kenya.
The project, organized through the aid
organization Hope for the Nations, seeks
to construct a building for 25 children
aged three to 15.
We're looking to give them a home and
a school somewhere to study and learn,
said daughter Breezey Allen, who has
taken a leadership role in the project.
The goal is to raise $60,000, which will
pay for the construction of the home,
plus the digging of a well to ensure the
children will have access to clean water
on a daily basis.
We were talking about
doing an orphanage just
because of my mom s
love for children, said
Breezey.
It just seemed like the
tribute, and relatives of the Allens from
London hope to raise money there as
well.
Breezey admitted early response to the
cause has been heartwarming.
There was such a huge number of
people at even just (Ronalee s) memori-
al, and now that we've decided to build
the orphanage, the support has been tre-
mendous and very
It just seemed like the
perfect opportunity to keep
her memory alive and do
something in tribute to her.
BREEZEY ALLEN,
perfect opportunity to
keep her memory alive
and do something in tribute to her.
Donations have already started coming
in, and fundraising events are being pre-
pared, Breezey said.
To Dye For, a salon on Exeter s Main
Street, will donate all proceeds from
haircuts on Dec. 6 and 7 to the cause,
and will be challenging other businesses
to help out as well.
Every dollar counts, and one person
can make a difference, Breezey said.
Schools in the area will also be ap-
proached to see if they re willing to con -
quick, Breezey said.
People are very ea-
ger to help and take
things on, which has
been wonderful."
Though money is
being collected by
Hope for the Nations
and Breezey is unsure how much has
been raised to date, she estimates the to-
tal has eclipsed $1,000.
The group hopes to raise the remaining
funds in a year s time, though there is no
definite deadline for the project.
They'll build as we get the money,
Breezey said. The sooner we get the
money, the orphanage will be able to be
built.
If all goes according to plan, there will
be a plaque at the school in honour of
Ronalee, and the Allens hope to visit the
place someday.
Shawn sees the orphanage as a chance
to continue the work Ronalee carried out
in life.
It's something tangible that will con-
tinue, he said.
It won't run out, and it will have a
huge and significant impact on a good
number of people and allow her name
to be synonymous with caring and giv-
ing."
We keep saying that if one person is
impacted by everything that's been go-
ing on, it makes up a little bit of what we
lost, said Breezey.
We'll never make that up fully, but
everybody has been absolutely amazing,
and there's a lot of people being touched
by this, so that's fabulous."
Anyone wishing to donate to the
cause can call Hope for the Nations at
(250)-712-2007 or mail cheques (with
memorial for Ronalee Allen on the
memo line) to:
Hope for the Nations
2041 Harvey Ave.,
Kelowna, B.C.,
V1Y 6G7.
For more about the project, visit
ronaleesmemorialorphanage. webs. com