Chaffs, a novel by Doug Lathrop will be published Aug. 8 to coincide with Lathrop’s birthday. Lathrop was a fixture around San Diego. He volunteered at The LGBT Center; was active in the First Unitarian Universalist Church, serving on the Board of Trustees; rarely missed Comic-Con and attended many other geek events in San Diego. His friends and family have launched a Kickstarter campaign to help finance the publication of Chaffs. The Kickstarter will end July 1.
“The purpose of the Kickstarter is also to give Doug’s many friends the chance to get a limited-edition hardback version of the book,” Doug’s brother Daniel Lathrop said. “And to help get the word out about Doug’s book.”
Lathrop had just finished the final rewrite of Chaffs two weeks before his 50th birthday. A fall the night of his birthday led to complications and he died Aug. 15, 2014.
“Doug had asked for my help launching his book,” author Walter G. Meyer said. “After his tragic death, his family asked me if I was still willing to do that and of course I said yes. We want to make sure the book gets out as a lasting memorial to Doug.”
Chaffs is set in a dystopian present-day Los Angeles, one in which the religious right has come to rule the country. Tyler Treppenhouse is a star high school athlete from a powerful family, with an adoring girlfriend and a bright future in baseball; he is the perfect Son of America’s Fourth Great Awakening. But when his best friend suddenly disappears, it sets him on a path that will lead him to question – and lose – everything he once believed in.
Lathrop was born with Osteogenesis Imperfecta. By the time he was 12, he had been hospitalized at least 25 times for fractures or surgeries. Being in a wheelchair never deterred Lathrop from much. He graduated from Cal State Northridge and worked as a journalist. He attended raves and was a popular member of the underground music scene in L.A. He traveled widely, including trips to Australia and Europe.
He kept his wicked sense of humor until the end. After the fall on his birthday that hospitalized him and was to claim his life, he told a friend, “It was one of those birthdays – other than that Mrs. Lincoln, how was the play?”
“Once we announced we were doing the book, many people asked how they could get a copy and how they could help promote it,” Meyer said. “Every time I post about it on Facebook, I get dozens of ‘likes’ and comments from people who are eager for this to happen.”
After the Kickstarter, the book will be available to the general public in August. A book release party will be held at that time so Lathrop’s friends can get a copy of the final published book.
