Spiffy Adventures of McConey, The - The Hoodoodad

"Better to have doggy-doo on the sole of my foot than pigeon poop on the top of my head."

Not the most high-flying philosophy ever minted, but it's the best McConey's pal Richie can come up with after a string of bad luck that the excitable cat insists on attributing to the malefic power of a skull-festooned rock — allegedly the final legacy of the long-forgotten "Mi'shgo'sh" dynasty.

But is he really cursed? Richie's attempts to prove to his disbelieving friends — including the perennially skeptical McConey — that fate has it out for him are all thwarted, leading him to the inevitable conclusion that the lack of any concrete evidence is simply the most insidious part of the curse.

The Hoodoodad is a story about misfortune, dirty-words Scrabble, too-secret art, too-public photography, miniature car racing, exorcism, answering machines, nauseating desserts, pinball, parents and godparents, yappy little dogs, and the intricacies of fate and destiny.