Pookoo: a religion or not? That's the question

May 2, 2009 - PRLog -- ROCKFORD, IL. - Early on in the writing of "Pookoo", D.L. Shiloh had a near-death experience. Like its creator, the main character, Katlin Hillmacher, had a series of NDEs, Hillmacher attains new fame and becomes the focus of debate and admiration.

"Katlin Hillmacher is very charismatic," Shiloh said. "This is a popular trend in society - a hero with appeal, and in his case, his public turns on him. Of course there are true believers."

Shiloh refers to "Pookooians" - those believers in Hillmachers words of the after life. Was this slant a part of the plan or did it happen by chance?

"As an athlete he found a following, and as a character with an ability to communicate, he finds his flock," Shiloh said. "The book reveals the double edge to that. He has some very Zen things to say, mainly about living now, but his tragic side undermines what he can say in a positive way."

Shiloh admits that he was building a Christ-like character when he devised Hillmacher, and even included a chapter titled "Walking On Water." He stresses that Hillmacher has so much potential but has a negative side.

The book also looks inside the world of sports and heroic worship.

"People are looking for heroes, they always have, and our heroes nowadays fall from grace so easily," Shiloh said. "It's the nature of hero worship. The problem is that our ideal is skewed. I definitely believe that public figures can be role models. But instead of looking to a ball player or a movie star or anyone else like that, we should focus on a strong, positive family member, friend, teacher or coach as someone to emulate. They're human and accessible. They're not trying to sell soda or cars and woo us with their celebrity. They are real people in your life. It doesn't mean they can't falter. And when all else fails, people can aspire to whom they would like to be."

Is a sequel in the works?

"It depends on the readership," Shiloh said. "I have an outline, with an amped-up storyline, if people want it. But we'll see."

"Pookoo" is available at Amazon.com in a Kindle version or as a paperback. The e-book can be downloaded for free from http://www.dlshiloh.com or from http://www.pookoo.net only until June 13th.

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