Hayden Carlisle is in his early 20s when he begins a job as a designer at The Plush Porcupine, a small Chicago toy design studio - but he's not the only new arrival to enter the shop and possibly change its downward trajectory.

Maxine Porter provides a major impetus for positive change, bringing with her an intense energy that nobody can quite define. Does she have genuine precognition and business savvy, or is something else lending to her ability to pull The Plush Porcupine - and Hayden - into new realms of possibility and success?

Hayden initially enters this job with a few ambitions ("...work hard enough to be a respected employee for at least one year, be personable enough that my coworkers talk to me, and force myself to find at least one good quality about everybody so I don't dread each moment of being there.")

As he experiences investor meetings that pick apart and question new product designs and dutifully chronicles a fateful turning point for the company in a journal replete with astute observations and mystery, perspectives shift between Hayden, Walter, and others who find themselves on a remarkable journey indeed.

These changing viewpoints are clearly documented in chapters which move between Hayden's journal reflections, third-person views of company owner Walter Keeler's first success (and possibly his first failure, as well), and the experiences of fellow designers Marty and Scott. A fine blend of mystery and business insight keeps readers engaged not just in business processes, but in personality clashes.

The Illuminating Occurrence of Maxine Porter is a revealing, absorbing, engrossing story of budding relationships in the business and social design world. It ventures into unexpected territory by juxtaposing the personalities, dreams, and extraordinary abilities of more than just the powerful figurehead, Maxine Porter. The result is a fine survey of social awkwardness, business success, and the pressures upon owners and workers alike to re-brand a small company, among other topics.

To bill The Illuminating Occurrence of Maxine Porter a 'business novel', however, would be to limit its audience too strictly. There's a great deal of interplay between characters of various ages and experience levels, creating a psychological depth and insight rare in business novels which, tend to focus on company advancement processes alone: "It always amazes me how different people think. Scott seems to take a single grand idea, mold it, tweak it, and build on it until he gets to a final concept, whereas I like to throw a bunch of random thoughts down and analyze them to pick which attributes to draw from each. Scott seemed confused when I put out my multiple sketches. He rightfully thinks of me as a young kid and not the successful creative designer that he is. He obviously thought that this process would go like the other things, where he would come up with the idea and I would develop the details."

This novel deserves a wider audience.

The Illuminating Occurrence of Maxine Porter will delight those seeking a multifaceted story of personal, professional, and business changes. It follows a young man's new entry into the workforce and his path to success, which is sparked by a relatively short encounter with a very extraordinary, visionary individual who changes his life.

The Illuminating Occurrence of Maxine Porter comes full circle in examining definitions of that success, and will prove engaging, surprising, and hard to put down as its characters and company dilemmas both come to life.
 

Time is the essence of this new work from former architect Glenn Seerup. A self-proclaimed aficionado of Holden Caulfield, readers are challenged and amused to discover bits of Catcher allusions in Seerup’s stories.

One March day in Chicago, present, life begins to unfold for recent industrial design graduate Hayden Carlisle. Realizing his talents are more suited to a smaller operation, as is his prickly personality, Hayden has been hired by a toy design firm. The Plush Porcupine is past its heyday of once-popular unique toys and entering a downward spiral of ennui. Hayden is more interested in using the staff for a personal pet project—writing a best-seller documentary on his first, and probably only, year at the firm that will jumpstart his literary career—and has initially little other appreciation for corporate or personal intrigue.

Characters rarely get what they wish. Hayden is not the only hire at the Porcupine this special week. A promising indeterminately-aged but highly motivated and challenging woman named Maxine Porter comes on board as well. The reader follows Hayden and the members and friends of the Plush Porcupine during the rest of the tumultuous year.

The book is divided into months with epigraphs that hint at the events to come. Chapters within the months are divided by Hayden’s journal writing in first person and other chapters in a wandering omniscient voice that focus on the personnel: company founder and owner Walter whom Hayden admires; the troubled Marty, Walter’s friend and confidant who’s a talented designer in her own right; Scott, another focused toy designer; Matthew, the religious advertising guy; the ever-perky Caryn who’s a designer but prefers to run the office and make sure everyone is greeted with a smile; and Adam, Hayden’s roommate. The story progresses as the force that is Maxine with all her mystery and energy firmly shakes up the world of the Porcupine. The staff wonders alternately if she’s an angel, an alien, or Mary Poppins. Maxine plows on, taking Hayden under her wing as her special assistant on an equally mysterious project dealing with virtual reality. Or does it?

Meanwhile, each character’s personal and professional life plays out with Maxine’s golden prophetic aid, firm hand, and subtle dare to rise above. As the year flows onward, it’s obvious Maxine has a personal goal, and I had fun turning pages and wondering about it right along with the well-fleshed and interwoven characters. Participating in the story as the pieces come together is a delight for readers who enjoy character-driven set pieces with a subtle twist of fantasy.

Chicago comes alive as the designers and their friends and family invest themselves in their work and lifestyle choices. The Illuminating Occurrence of Maxine Porter is a fresh, thoughtful, feel-good tale of imperfect people learning to grow, work, and communicate in a joint effort to make a better future.