Book excerpt: Crystallizing Chaos is a wryly comic tale of balancing academia with action and replacing footnotes with a sense of fun. A high-brow college student, Daniel Coventry, hopes to be a writer. He encounters the forgotten but immensely gifted pulp novelist Stephen Chidley, who wrote action-oriented novels by the dozens in a month apiece while living his adventures. He is also inspired by the novelists granddaughter Dora, who resides in Stephens home near Daniels dorm. Through Daniel, they become entangled with his best professor, Cynthia Schuler, an outspoken feminist and scholar. Cynthia also wrangles with her chauvinist, unfaithful husband and has fallen for her favorite student after many rounds of lovemaking in her office. Each of them confronts the fear of failure. Daniel is afraid of flunking if he cant complete a novel for his graduation. Stephen is afraid thathe abused his fabulous storytelling talents as a pulp writer who came close to greatness only in a single memorable novel. Dora is afraid of any loss of independence. Cynthia is afraid of failing Daniel and of losing him to Dora. Step by comic misstep, they confront their differences and the chasm that divides the ivory tower from popular culture. With a month remaining, they decide that only one solution will enable Daniel to begin his book and race to finish it in time forgraduation: Let him crystallize the chaos of their year-long battle in a way that blends the best of academia and action!