DURHAM, N.C., August 28, 2003 (PRIMEZONE) -- A bold new novel, Guild of Honor (now available from 1stBooks), ventures into just that scenario: rigged golf tournaments. Of interest also is the novel's author, Andrew Collins, who credits a high school essay and its opening sentence, "In 1896 Henry Ford put-putted down Detroit's Bagley Avenue in the funny little machine with a leather-belt drive that completely revolutionized transportation," with launching his star: a sound education, a lifelong interest in writing and subsequently his first novel.
Collins' catchy lead in, he believes, clinched a Pilot Freight Carriers scholarship to Clemson University. Fast forward to the present and Collins draws upon that writing experience as he launches Guild of Honor with a fury, then weaves a suspenseful, tender and sometimes raunchy tale dealing with professional golf tournaments gone wrong.
Readers will adopt, as one of their own, the novel's baby faced idol, Byron Pickens, on his way to golfing stardom. When crafty villain Peter Frazier comes along, all will yearn to warn an unsuspecting Pickens of evil pitfalls ahead.
For those into love stories, Guild of Honor dishes out a generous helping of that, as well. At college Byron meets tennis whiz Lauren Cobb. Their budding romance often relegates to "also ran" status each's longtime infatuation with a sport.
Where does the raunchy part come into play? When the scenes involve guys bantering, or ogling, or golfing (and afterward, in boisterous locker rooms) easily vexed readers are cautioned to shield tender eyes or claim they skipped the rougher passages.
Andrew Collins worked as a chemical engineer, returned to school for orthodontics and practices in Durham and Roxboro, NC. He professes to write during "free" time. Golf appears to garner a respectable share of time off, however, as Collins recently bagged his first hole in one. He lives with wife Shirley in Durham.
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