THE ART FLOGGER
Linda DuPont has a successful career as a Fine Art Auctioneer on cruise ships until she marries the love of her life and settles on the island of Cozumel, Mexico. There she partners with her husband successfully growing a tourist diving operation, boosting local artists and raising three children. Tragedy strikes when her husband, Dan dies. She sells the business and moves to Bellingham, Washington to be close to family.
Eventually, she establishes as a famous art auctioneer in demand across America. She is approached by a Texan billionaire to help sell some of his art collection unaware he is a king pin in a Colombian drug cartel. As the DEA begins to investigate art sales linked to cocaine dealers, she must be eliminated as a loose end.
Inspiration for THE ART FLOGGER:
My local art gallery had an inspiration contest where writers were paired with local artists. Each writer had to write a short story based on the piece of art that had been selected for them. I did so. It was well received and I got carried away turning the short story into THE ART FLOGGER.
Way back when I was a grad student I became interested in what was labeled at that time as “Consumer Behaviour”. I had the opportunity to befriend and observe Carnies and the Carney culture and the “psychology” behind refined high-pressure sales tactics and auctioneering. A bit of this pops up in NIGHTHAWK: AFRICAN ICE and I thought it would be fun to reveal more in THE ART FLOGGER. Makes one wonder if some fine art pricing could be a form of money laundering built on a foundation of contrived hype. After all, fine art is in the eye of the beholder – or is it the pocketbook?