Electric Surprise!!

"I don't want to read a poem. I don't want to read a short story. I want to read Chapter One. That's it," said my friend Allison cruelly.

"You should write your book this weekend," said Dan, as if writing a book and making a beef stew were one and the same (to be fair, he just means I should be writing on the weekend.)

"Why aren't you writing a book? Where's the book?" asked my Dad. "Your book should be about an electrical systems operator who accidentally teams up with terrorists by destroying the power grid."

"Dad...do you think I'm writing a book about you working at Con Ed?"

"It could be called Electric Surprise," he declared, a gleam in his eye. "And the guy...let's  say he has gambling debt, a working class Joe, like me..."

"Lord help us, " said Mom.

"And so he tells these guys for a certain amount of money...he'll shut off the power grid in New York for a little bit. And he doesn't realize they're terrorists."

"That's a great idea for a book," said Mom. "Like Dirk Pitt. Or that other guy. Those books make a lot of money."

"I don't know if I have the technical expertise to write that kind of book," I replied. "I usually write stories about unfulfilled middle class white women who long for adventure. Oprah type stuff. "

"You could have the guy's daughter be that character. She could, like, infiltrate the terrorist group and avenge her dad..."

"Sweet!" said my husband.

"Electric Surprise?" I repeated.

"You can change the title. It's a working title," said Dad, waving his fork dismissively. "Send me Chapter One."

Anyone know anything about the power grid?