When Gerry FitzGerald decided to write his first novel, he figured he would cause a stir by focusing on the two biggest things that everyone knows they are not supposed to bring up in conversation: religion and politics.
The book, Seat of Power, which was released in January, has just reached 700 copies sold. FitzGerald now plans to return to his hometown of Albany, which is also where the action in the book takes place, to autograph copies and talk about `Seat of Power.`
The book is heavily based on the life of his father ` a man who, at one point, thought he wanted to become a priest and later became a Times Union reporter.
`My father went to Christian Brothers Academy then the seminary to become a priest,` FitzGerald said. After the seminary, his father continued to another seminary in Niagara and then went to Rome for two years to continue his studies. Being able to go to Rome and study to become a priest typically guarantees success in the religious ranking system, FitzGerald said.
`You go there, and as long as you don’t screw up, you’re going to be somebody,` he said.
A year before he was supposed to be ordained, FitzGerald’s father changed his mind and left Rome. He came back to Albany, worked for the Times Union as a reporter for a short time and then moved to New York City.
The main character in `Seat of Power` follows the same path as FitzGerald’s father, as the book, which is written in the style of `The Da Vinci Code` and `Angels and Demons,` is based on religious secrets discovered by the Knights Templar and political structures.
FitzGerald’s own background is not in writing but aviation. He was the director of aviation for John F. Kennedy, Newark and LaGuardia airports for 30 years before starting his own aviation management company called Aviation Perspective in New Fairfield, Conn.
During his time in aviation, FitzGerald said he was exposed to many people involved in politics and soon became fascinated by the political personas of those in the seat of power.
`It became interesting to me that the person that thinks they’re in the seat of power, really they’re not,` he said. `I’m a great fan of history because I do believe history repeats itself. Power is very often abused, and we shouldn’t be surprised by that.`
He began to think about this more and more, figuring out a way to write a book that would express his ideas while telling a story heavily based on facts.
`As long as we all expect the people in control to be susceptible to corruption, we’re fine,` he said. `Then I thought, ‘You’re never supposed to talk about politics and religion. So why not have the pope fight the president and see who wins?’`
So, he decided to write his story using a character who went to Rome and was in the seminary with people who would eventually go on to be leaders of the church, whereas his character goes on to leave the seminary and become a reporter who investigates corruption and writes about power. He combined this with his own observations about power structures.
`I wanted to make some kind of a statement as to how people in politics ought to be viewed. [People who] say one thing and do another,` he said.
FitzGerald’s publisher, Vantage Press, Inc., recommends the book to those who enjoy factual mysteries.
`Readers may liken FitzGerald’s protagonist, Dan Gerard, to Dan Brown’s Robert Landon ` as he works to uncover the hidden secrets between top government officials and the Vatican,` Vantage’s publicity office said in a release.
Although this is only his first book, FitzGerald said he does not plan to write another any time soon, though he did learn a great deal from the experience of writing `Seat of Power.`
`I learned that I have a great admiration for people who do this on a regular basis,` he said, referring to the writing.
FitzGerald will be at the William K. Sanford Library, in Colonie, signing books and discussing `Seat of Power` on Wednesday, Sept. 9 at 12:15 p.m., and at The Book House in Stuyvesant Plaza, in Guilderland, on Wednesday, Sept. 9 at 7 p.m.
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