Full Rip Nine
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A Province in turmoil and a man in crisis. FULL RIP NINE is a fast-paced account of high-stakes political intrigue. It chronicles the life of James Dean Franklin, a man trying to reconcile his unfulfilled past with a future that appears increasingly futile. James is a jaundiced but effective political operative. After a successful career in the US, he returns to the chaotic politics of British Columbia to work for his onetime lover and current Premier of the Province, Anne Richardson, only to have his professional and private lives collide with devastating effect. The story tracks James as events (including a massive earthquake – the “full rip nine” of the title) inexorably force him to confront his fears and make choices, tasks he has successfully avoided for many years. At this critical mid-point in his life, can he find the courage to make personal commitments and take significant risks? Can he use his proximity to power to help preserve the independence of the Province he loves?
About Peter Heap
Peter Charles Heap was born in England in 1947 and transported to Vancouver Canada by his parents at a very early age. His post-secondary education, at the University of British Columbia and Yale University, culminated in a PhD in history at the latter. Over-educated and under-qualified, he joined Canada's Department of External Affairs in 1974 as a foreign service officer. There he gained much useful experience and a lovely and talented wife, Lynda Cronin.
In the course of their eventful careers, Peter and Lynda moved back and forth between Ottawa and Victoria several times. Peter worked in senior positions in the provincial and federal governments and in two public policy research organizations -- the Institute for Research in Public Policy and the Centre for Global Studies.
Inveterate travellers, Peter and Lynda have discovered that the list of possible destinations seems to grow rather than shrink over time. A small West Indian island (Bequia) and a ranch in the BC Interior, however, call them back every year, wherever else they go. Home base remains Victoria, Canada, where Peter and Lynda have lived in the same little green house with a succession of cats since 1982.
Peter came to writing fiction rather late, but Full Rip Nine has turned out to be an effective way to satisfy the story-telling urge. There may even be a sequel in the works.
On the non-fiction side, Peter authored Globalization and Summit Reform: An Experiment in International Governance (Springer, IDRC, 2008) while at the Centre for Global Studies.
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