On the day after the Bicentennial, the body of an old man is discovered hanging from a tree in a park in Hamartin, a small farming community in central Oregon. A homophobic note is attached to the man's body. The shocking story makes the national news wire. Shandy Anderson, a young artist, hears the story on the morning TV news during her move from Hamartin's small-town boredom to an exciting new life in San Francisco. She knows the old man, Emmett Hale, whose generous gift of money made her escape possible - and who had paid her for sex. But how can he be the victim of a homophobic crime if he isn't a homosexual? And why would he be murdered when everyone in town knew he had terminal cancer? Shandy decides to return home not only for Emmett's funeral but to find out what really happened. EMMETT'S GIFT is a literary novel of suspense, and the story of a young woman's coming of age against the backdrop of small town bigotry and personal sexual experimentation. Charles Deemer is on the writing faculty at Portland State University and is an award-winning playwright.
Charles Deemer is the editor of Oregon Literary Review and the artistic director of Small Screen Video.
His book Seven Plays was a finalist for the Oregon Book Award. His novel Dead Body In A Small Room was a finalist for Foreword Magazine's Mystery of the Year award. Three of his stories were selected to the Roll of Honor in Best American Short Stories. His play "Famililly" won the 1997 Crossing Borders international new play competition.
His other books include Kerouac's Scroll (novel), Love At Ground Zero (novel), Movies They Should Have Made (screenplays), The Man Who Shot Elvis and Other Stories and In My Old Age (poems).
Deemer recently began making digital films. His DVDs include Three Short Digital Films, Deconstructing Sally and The Farewell Wake.
Deemer teaches screenwriting at Portland State University.
