Cryptic Bindings, a neighborhood in-home business self-described as a “creepy little press specializing in handcrafted fiction and one-of-a-kind art books,” is unreeling a serial thriller set in Seattle.
For lack of a title (there’s a contest to name the book), Michael Attebery’s serial novel is simply called “Untitled Thriller.” It details the events surrounding a hostage crisis at a Seattle college that takes place when a well-known software company co-founder and philanthropist visits to check up on his research funding.
The fast-paced story is dripping with Seattle references, a steamy affair and a fair amount of violence and some coarse language – the perfect summer balm for the anxiety of high gas prices and an uncertain economy.
Attebery, the founder of Cryptic Bindings, is aiming to use publishing-on-demand to ramp up a boutique publishing company without having to rely on a lot of startup funding. “Instead of spending years trying to track down agents and managers, I thought I’d spend that time marketing my own writing, and then, once I get the hang of it, I can put the experience to good use publishing other writers in the same predicament,” he explained in an e-mail interview.
He’s running his business out of his home in the Phinney/Greenwood area. “In the grand scheme of things, I dream of having a ‘creepy little bookstore/headquarters’ but until I have the whole enterprise up and running, I’m trying to keep things low profile,” he wrote.
Twenty chapters are posted and Attebery figures the story will wrap up in early October. It’ll be published and available on the Amazon wireless Kindle reader in January.
In November, Attebery will have another book published and available on the Kindle. “On/Off: A Jekyll and Hyde Story,” is about a college student dealing with early onset Parkinson’s Disease, who undergoes a risky surgical procedure with horrific results.
Watch – over your shoulder – for the follow-up book entitled “Phinney Ridge.” Oooh, creepy.
