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New novel has East Kootenay connection
By Michelle Forbes
Being an entrepreneur can be challenging under the best of circumstances; but even more challenging when thugs and unsavoury characters are involved.
Del Chatterson’s debut novel ‘No Easy Money’ features Dale Hunter, a successful entrepreneur in the computer business in the 1980s. Hunter is an Anglophone in Montreal, so successful, everyone wants a share of his profits. When a gangster, Jaques Talbot, insists on offering Hunter “Protection insurance,” Hunter reluctantly agrees, until his “insurance premiums” become too much to handle, and he takes matters into his own hands, with the help of some questionable characters he connects with along the way.
The story dives into conflict, with Hunter’s problems growing ever larger, as he tries to run his business, protect his family, and deal with the threats and danger that have become part of his everyday life. Hunter, a Kootenay native, far from home, follows a whirlwind journey, taking him as far away as Asia, as he grapples to regain control of his life. Life of an entrepreneur isn’t so easy after all.
No Easy Money is full of twists and turns, as Hunter attempts to disentangle himself from the web of lies, deceit, and legally questionable practices he finds himself wrapped up in.
This is the first novel in a series that follows Dale Hunter’s ups and downs in entrepreneurial life of 1980s Montreal. The second book in the series, Simply the Best, is due to be released in February 2019, with more books to follow, including, Merger Maniac scheduled for release June 2019, and Bad Boys in Boston and Crash Landing planned for 2020. Chatterson is working to continue the series and hopes to have ten books in the series out in the next ten years, while also working on new editions of his non-fiction business books, and a series of short stories.
Del Chatterson has much in common with his protagonist, Dale Hunter. Both are from the Kimberley/Cranbrook area, both have an engineering degree from UBC, an MBA from McGill University in Montreal, and were entrepreneurs in the computer industry in the ‘80s. While Chatterson says he drew extensively on his own life experiences for the book, the storyline is completely fictional.
“The book,” he said, “was 15 years in the works in my mind and two and a half years on paper.”
It is now available in various bookstores in Montreal, and online from Amazon.
Chatterson has previously written two non-fiction books, The Complete Do-It-Yourself Guide to Business Plans, and Don’t Do It the Hard Way, which are written as his alter ego “Uncle Ralph,” released in 2014.
As a consultant, helping entrepreneurs succeed for over 30 years, his experiences and the experiences of those he helped inspired both his non-fiction and fictional works. He admits, “My ‘hidden agenda” in the Dale Hunter novels is to provide some insights and inspiration for and about entrepreneurs and generate some sympathy and understanding from their critics.”
The belief that if you have a business, you have a lot of money, and don’t do much to run the business, is common. Chatterson’s work with entrepreneurs has shown that is not usually the case.
“I’m not really opposed to big business or large corporations, just the few greedy, selfish ones.” He continues, “My theme is to promote enlightened entrepreneurs who recognize their obligations to employees, customers and suppliers, communities, people and the planet.”
He has shared his experience through business writing, blogs, and articles, and as a business consultant for over 30 years, before releasing this first novel.
Although Chatterson has lived in Montreal for the past 40 years, he still feels a strong connection to the Kootenays. He grew up in Kimberley, as a mining town under Cominco, leaving for university at 18. His brother and sister still live in Cranbrook, and he returned to run for MP in the Kootenay-Columbia riding as the Liberal candidate in 2000.
When he’s not writing, he also enjoys photography, golf, travel, and ran nine marathons between the ages of 50 and 60.
With his broad experience over the years, and with his Kootenay connection, this gipping novel will be widely enjoyed as it transports readers to a time when home computers were just beginning.
If you are interested in learning more about Del Chatterson, check out his website or his entrepreneurship website.
No Easy Money is available on Amazon
A review of the book is available on Indie Reader.
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