CHICAGO TO CORONADO is a Twitter romance/suspense soap opera written in 140 word soundbytes. The storyline is about a culturally-challenged Chicago to Coronado transplant a former Prada-heeled agency CEO, noted feminist, Economic Club of Chicago member and Entrepreneur Magazine writer thrust into a world of Navy SEALs and flipflops. The book begins with her driving cross country in a 10 year old Saab. Her car dies in Omaha and she flies on Southwest Airlines to Coronado. When her car is repaired she flies back to Omaha and completes the drive with Matt Claymore, a stoic, jaded former Navy SEAL and her primary love interest. Eventually she settles in to Coronado, her new home. Her new neighbor on the Island is “Academy”, a promising recently BUD/s and SQL trained SEAL. A love triangle ensues. On the surface, Coronado seems like Pleasantville. It rarely rains on the 7.4 square mile Island. Firemen still save cats, the Coronado Islander football team nearly always wins, only 4 registered sex offenders among the 20k city residents. But from the Hotel Del and the little flower lady perched in City Square…to the all-male Navy SEALS training grounds, the politics of a city represented by a Federal Lobbyist Firm, and the 2.2 mile long Bay Bridge ranked the 3rd deadliest suicide bridge in the U.S…Coronado is a quirky setting. Many notable Chicago men before her fell in love with Coronado’s charm, but each met misfortune. HAMPTON STORY sold his Chicago business, Story & Clark Pianos, to his son and relocated to Coronado. He formed the Coronado Beach Company, built the Hotel Del in 1887, but later lost his assets. Chicago born LARRY LAWRENCE purchased the Hotel Del in 1963. Lawrence was one of the leading Advocates for the Bay Bridge, Ambassador to Switzerland, buried upon death in Arlington Cemetery and later disinterred because of falsified military records. FRANK BAUM was living in Chicago and travelling to Coronado while he was writing the Wizard of Oz books. Although he inspired Hollywood movie production in Coronado, he died bankrupt. What will happen to our heroine, @kirsteno? AMONG THE CAST OF CHARACTERS: * @kirsteno – Story narrator. A culturally-challenged Chicago to Coronado transplant a former Prada-heeled agency CEO, noted feminist, Economic Club of Chicago member and Entrepreneur Magazine writer thrust into a world of Navy SEALs and flipflops. * Matt Claymore – From Chicago to Coronado’s male love interest. Stoic, jaded, regimented. A former Navy Seal turned President of a privately-held San Diego company. A divorced dad of 3 with shared custody, he was raised in the same Coronado house in which he now lives on Third Avenue. He prioritizes family, business, and fitness in that order. Twitter page: http://twitter.com/mattclaymore * Nado Dee O’Gee – Matt Claymore’s 15-year old black lab. Lives in Coronado on Third Avenue. A wee bit snarky. Suffers from selective hearing. Loves steak, bones, Dog Beach. Still thinks she is a pup. Twitter page: http://twitter.com/nadodeeogee * The Granny Flat – @kirsteno’s Coronado granny flat. Dusty breezeway (not even an attic). 15 Prada shoe feet by 30 Prada shoe feet (because mansion-ization is frowned on in Coronado). No working stove, no bed. Separate hot and cold water faucets. Only 1 window opens. Tweets Coronado heritage and facts. Twitter page: http://twitter.com/thegrannyflat * Academy – @kirsteno’s Navy SEAL neighbor. Also called “Radar” by his Platoon brothers. Part of the @kirsteno/@mattclaymore love triangle. Twenty-something year old Naval Academy graduate and officer who recently completed BUD/s training. Passionate, educated, vibrant, charming, romantic. Raised on the East Coast by his mother, a high ranking corporate executive. Twitter page: NONE * K. Brady Calhoun – “Kbyte” for short, buddies with “Academy”. A troubled, tattooed, bare-knuckle fighting UDT/SEAL diver. An enlisted man with a degree from the school of hard knocks. A real rootin tootin shootin paratroopin SCUBA divin demolition double cap crippin Frogman. He drives Navy trucks 2by’s, 4by’s, 6by’s and those big mother truckers that go Shhh Shhh when you step on the brakes and bend in the middle. * Chicago CEO Chick – A Chicago entrepreneur and friend of @kirsteno. Workaholic. Loves High Heels and Weekly Blowouts. Knows the dirty secrets of many Chicago business leaders. Twitter page: http://twitter.com/chicagoceochick * Ed Scalan – Esteemed and sage 60-something year old Chicago attorney and Economic Club of Chicago member, mentor to @kirsteno. Doesn’t say much – but when he does look out. Twitter page: http://twitter.com/edscalan In addition to “Chicago to Coronado” characters, real “tweeps,” politics, and people are woven into the daily storyline. THE MAIN STORYLINE ON TWITTER: http://twitter.com/kirsteno THE CHICAGO TO CORONADO FACEBOOK GROUP: http://tinyurl.com/chicago2coronado CHICAGO TO CORONADO ON FLICKR: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kirsteno_coronado/ THE BUBBLETWEET VIDEO CHANNEL: http://www.bubbletweet.com/channel/kirsteno THE VIMEO VIDEO CHANNEL: http://www.vimeo.com/chicago2coronado
