The Confidential

The Duke-North Carolina Rivalry…Middle School Fiction?

Duke-North Carolina. Two schools, eight miles apart. It’s been called the Greatest Rivalry Ever. It’s basketball, it’s football. It’s even lacrosse. But is it…middle school fiction? You’ve probably been wondering where I’ve been the past few weeks. With the release of the Wainstein Report, most North Carolina fans have been either hiding in shame, or vocally sharing their anger. I’ve been doing neither. I’ve been writing a book.

I’m happy to announce that my debut novel, Burlwood Forest, is now available on Amazon.com- http://www.amazon.com/Burlwood-Forest-adventure-proportions-Trilogy/dp/069227703X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1414758459&sr=1-1&keywords=burlwood+forest

But what does that have to do with the ACC? What does that have to do with sports? Here is an excerpt from my book, a section where the main character, Michael Pumpernickel, shares his love of the Tar Heels, and his displeasure with Duke-

“I’m sure Ralph won’t mind if I use his North Carolina sweatshirt. He never wears it anyway! He just keeps it in this airtight, UV-blocking, bulletproof glass display case. I can always put it back when I’m done.”

Carefully disabling the alarm system (Ralph was very serious about his sweatshirt), Michael replaced the garment with a photo of the sandcastle they’d made at the beach last summer. Maybe he won’t notice? he thought. Pulling the sweatshirt over his head, he shook with relief.

“This feels a lot better than the itchy Duke Basketball sweatshirt my creepy neighbor, Mr. K, got me. My arms don’t burn and my hair isn’t standing on end like it does with that thing. Brrr….I really love this North Carolina sweatshirt! Go Tar Heels!”

So there you have it. A rivalry is a rivalry because it NEVER dies. It’s part of life. For more information on Burlwood Forest, please visit my book web site at http://www.burlwoodforest.com and on Twitter at @burlwoodforest. I hope you will join me on this journey. Thank you for your support! And yes, I will be back within the week with my opinion on the Report!