The Rare Event by P.D. Singer

Literary Nymphs Interview

Title: The Rare Event

Author:  P.D. Singer
Publisher: Dreamspinner
Genre: Contemporary
Release Date: March 30, 2012

Tell us about your latest release

The Rare Event could be considered a contemporary historical, since it’s set in 2006, with some events straight out of the headlines. The Cardinals really did win the World Series (two of the characters are baseball fans), Google’s stock really did run up past 450, airlines were in turmoil, and the mortgage market really was crumbling. Jon and Ricky figure out how to make some money out of all this.

Ricky and Jon are hedge fund traders, colleagues, but with very different backgrounds, and very different hopes for the future of their relationship. Ricky hasn’t committed and doesn’t plan to, although if he’d get his head out of his butt, he’d notice that Jon is both anxious to commit and the perfect guy to do it with. Each of them has their own demons to explain why they tolerate the nonsense from each other that they do—it takes a long novel to unroll the whys, the whats, and oh, yeah, to make a fortune on the stock market.

The hedge fund that Ricky and Jon both work for is a bit on the shady side, more because of their horrible boss than for their investment style, and this is something the men are united on—something must be done about Edgar. But natch, they have different ways of taking him on. I did give poor Jon and Ricky a lot to cope with!

What inspired the story?

My local library branch has a rotating display of books next to the librarian’s desk. In order to expand my horizons, I pick up the book on the upper left corner, no matter what it is. This has provided some astonishing reading experiences.

A Colossal Failure of Common Sense, the Inside Story of the Failure of Lehman Brothers, by Lawrence McDonald was the upper left corner book one week. Oh, man, was that a harrowing read, written by a former Lehman Brothers vice president, who watched every step of the collapse. By the time I was done with that book, not only did I understand the collapse of the mortgage industry, I had a plot bunny the size of Godzilla gnawing my ankle.

EXCERPT:

“Ricky, who do you think is going to be hurt worst if this trade goes bad?” Jon had used his “speaking to a lover” voice without realizing it until the last word left his lips.

“Edgar.” Ricky snorted. “He takes it right in his fat ass. With the rest of the investors, but him worst.”

“He loses money. What do you lose?” If Ricky would think, Jon would use his persuasion any way he could—his voice remained soft.

Ricky cut himself short. “My—”

“Your previously accrued bonuses that are still invested here, your job, your prospects of a job in finance, because he’s vindictive. He’ll make sure the closest you end up to big money again is as the driver of an armored car.” Compared to all those things, small matters like the fortunes and security of his colleagues didn’t bear mentioning, so Jon didn’t. “Lose any noticeable chunk of ten million borrowed dollars, and he’ll find a way of making you pay it back personally.”

“You’ve been keeping score?” One side of Ricky’s mouth twisted back.

“I know how much capital you control and what you’ve bought—I can do the math.” He could, too, but peeking was faster.

“Assuming that you’re right and I’m wrong, which everyone is, even though I’m not, how would you have me fix this?”

“Best case would be that you bought married puts when you bought the stock, but since you didn’t—”

“Back to that old monogamy thing again, huh?” Ricky interrupted.

“You know what that is!” Jon snapped. Ricky was too experienced a trader not to buy the stock at the same time as the options. Jon wouldn’t let him turn the subject.

“Yes, I know, but what I also know is that the stock would have to rise another couple of bucks before I’m in the black after I buy that.” Ricky voiced a more valid objection.

 “Better than losing enough to buy a whole street of those houses Lasker builds,” Jon countered, “which is what you’ll do since you’ve married the position. You can buy the puts now, for some price that’s low enough to not crimp your profits, since you think a fall to that level is out of the question, or you could put a stop-loss order on, which will cost you a flat fee.”

“And even if it’s triggered, it may still be too late.” Ricky slid closer to Jon, who had no room to scoot away, trapped as he was against the desk.

“So buy the options. But do something.”

Ricky was too close now, and came to his feet, leaning on the arms of Jon’s chair, close enough to breathe into his ear. “I’ll buy the options if you’ll make mad passionate love to me on the couch right now.”

*****

Available now at Dreamspinner, at Amazon, and All Romance eBooks.

Where can we find your website?
 My site and blog are here, at http://pdsinger.com