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           Ex-Boston journalist writes city into his thriller novel
By Gayle Fee and Laura Raposa
Sunday, July 18, 2004

Former Hub newsie Gary Grossman hasn't worked in Boston for more than 25 years, but that didn't stop him from using the city as a backdrop for his new political thriller, ``Executive Actions.''
In the novel due out next month, his characters hail from Marblehead, wine 'n' dine at a Beacon Hill boite the author's never tried and even fight off attackers on the Esplanade.
``The research was the best part,'' Grossman, an Emerson College and BU alum, told the Track. ``Emerson is in the book. The Herald and the Globe are mentioned, Marblehead High . . .(One of the characters) is a snapshot of people that I covered while at WBZ and wrote about while at the Herald,'' he said.
Grossman - who now lives in Sacramento and divides his time between writing a sequel to ``Executive Actions'' and producing TV shows - even used an old student apartment on Grove Street for one of his character's homes.
``Although the ceiling didn't fall down on her head like it did when I was there,'' he laughed. ``Now it's probably a high-priced condo.''
The thriller begins in the middle of primary season as fictional Vermont congressman Teddy Lodge, a dashing Boston Brahmin, is making a bid for the White House.
Sound familiar? Perhaps a carefully calculated mix of Vermont gov Howard Dean, the carefully coiffed veep wannabe from North Carolina - John Edwards - and prez hopeful John Kerry?
Grossman, who had started researching long before this year's primaries, denies any intentional similarities.
``It was pretty accidental,'' he said, adding that the former Vermont gov's early lead in the Democratic primaries caused more than a few rewrites.
No kidding!
A film version of the thriller is in the works, and if Gary had his choice, Cambridge homey Matt Damon would be cast in the lead role - not as Teddy - but as studly Secret Service agent Scott Roarke who leaps into action as Lodge dodges an assassin's bullet.
``Part of me says, `Gee, is it a part for some Boston star?' '' he said. ``Matt Damon would be great.''
Let's get on the stump for Matt right now!
That’s a no-no
The late-night ``backdoor doughnut'' trade continues in Oak Bluffs after the town's Board of Health last week reversed its decision that the practice posed a health risk.
So islanders, like funny filmmaker Peter Farrelly, who demanded town officials ``keep Martha's Vineyard weird,'' are still able to curb their munchies from the rear of Martha's Vineyard Gourmet Cafe & Bakery.
However, OB selectmen did manage to fry some town who-know-whats when they refused to budge on ``backdoor doughnuts'' being sold after 12:30 a.m. Apparently, sales of the sweets were most swift after the bars closed.
The island's llicit nocturnal fritter saga began to boil last month when a 70-something neighbor, fed up with losing sleep to a band of crazy kids with a cruller jones, sought to close down the operation. So, he called in the local Board of Health and the Oak Bluffs Police Department.
Even Oak Bluffs Police Chief Erik Blake didn't think the doughnut ring was a problem.
``At 1 a.m., police have more to think about than whether people are eating doughnuts in the parking lots,'' he told the selectmen.
Like the police would ever come out against doughnuts???
Overheard on the ferry:
We hear Homeland Security sultan Tom Ridge's 16-car motorcade had planned to stop off at Santarpio's for pizza the other day before heading out to Logan Airport. But inclement weather forecast for the D.C. area forced Ridge and his peeps to take a pass on the pies in favor of landing on time in Washington. That just makes no sense to us!
The annual Taste of Chatham, a benefit for Monomoy Community Services, kicks off July 26 at 6:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. for patrons - under the tent at Chatham Elementary School. Tickets for the lip-smackin' good time can be scored at the Puritan store in downtown Chatham.
And blow the airhorn for Boston Bruins rookie netman Andrew Raycroft, who picked up an award the other night at the City of Hope cancer benefit out in Las Vegas.
Finally, the Recording Industry Association of America rang in to report that singer Gavin DeGraw will not be on the bill with the Black Eyed Peas at their DNC bash at Avalon July 27. Their mistake. The up-and-comer's ``Chariot'' CD will be re-released that day and he's got a date with impresario Clive Davis to receive an award. And then he'll hop his Chariot to New Orleans. Busy guy!


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