"If one advances in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours." -Thoreau

This is the novel length version of my short story "Lavish" originally published in 2000 and turned into a full-blown novel a couple of years later. To this day it's one of my favorite novels, a modern take on the Great Flood. It was a semi-finalist in the Penguin / Amazon Breakthrough Novel contest and is my agent, Sara Camilli, is currently marketing the heck out of it.

Read an Excerpt
All language rights still available. Contact me for more info.

 

manuscript review by Publishers Weekly (as part of the above-mentioned competition)
Apocalyptic horror meets Christian spirituality in this update of the Noah's Ark story. When Margaret Carboneau, a widowed mother of two, has a dream in which an angel commands her to build an ark to save 30 people from the coming deluge, she brushes off the unsettling vision until she learns that thousands of people worldwide have had virtually identical dreams. Margaret constructs an ark, encountering skepticism and resistance from the locals. Although Margaret's story of faith and sacrifice forms the crux of the novel, the author adds perspective and texture by incorporating the stories of others affected by visions; some of these subplots are more deftly executed than others, but they provide plenty of opportunity to explore faith from multiple perspectives. Like the original tale, the manuscript's tone is ultimately hopeful, though it pulls no punches in its portrayal of the consequences for those who fail to believe.

As part of the above-mentioned competition, the opening excerpt of the novel was
displayed for the public to read and review, including a anonymous (deliberately)
Amazon Top Reviewer who wrote:

This is an extremely well-written excerpt! I love the characters so far. Margaret and Jack are both very complex and interesting, with imperfect lives. I like that they are both a bit skeptical of their mission when the dreams first come to them, but begin to accept it as the dreams continue. I like the idea of modern-day people faced with a very strange religious task, and I would imagine there is a great deal of room in this story to examine the idea of faith. Although this story is well-written, writing anything with a religious angle is tricky. Much of the audience will be turned off by the very idea, and much of the rest of the audience will be turned off if the story turns into preaching instead of plot. So far this line has not been crossed; the religious aspect is presented in such a way that it does not overpower the characters in the story. I would be interested in reading more of this story, and seeing the ways in which Margaret's and Jack's lives intersect.

This excerpt from Keohane's latest effort, "Margaret's Ark", immediately draws you into the conscious and dreaming minds of two tortured characters who may be victims or saviors or both. Will the world be flooded in sixty days by the Hand of God? The tone is dark, ominous. The writing is crisp, rhythmic. Keohane paints taut but vivid images on a frightening, despairing world and leaves you wondering if his characters can siphon any hope from it.
- Valerie F. de Daulles

It's hard to judge a book from a short excerpt, but so far, this one is two thumbs up for me. Briskly written with clear prose, two very different and very believable characters, and a storyline that has me hooked. There's also one wonderful dream scene where a man's body physically transforms into a wooden boat. If I had the book in hand, I'd definitely keep reading. If I was browsing it in a store, I'd probably buy it.
- Bruce Boston

Keohane's crisp prose pulled me along and his keen characterization make for some fully realized characters. This end time narrative is as engrossing as they come and the intimate take on this seemingly epic story works extremely well. Margaret's Ark looks to be a winner. Existential dread and the conundrum of faith vs. faithlessness are truly fascinating facets of the human condition and I can't wait to read the entire novel to see what Keohane does with them. Highly recommended!
- Michael Calvillo