EDITORIAL
Before discussing PRIVATE AGENDAS, I first want to say a very big Thank You to everyone who returned the "Generic LoC", or who otherwise let me know their feelings, on HEART AND SOUL. I received more than a third of the LoCs back, and the overall favorite story was "Just Love", with "Hour of Separation" and "Walls of Glass" also receiving a great deal of support. However, all the stories were named as favorite by at least one reader. (And all the stories, except "Walls of Glass", was named as least favorite by at least one reader.) The interest and enthusiasm expressed for HAS has a lot to do with the reason you are now holding another zine in your hands. Thanks again, and I hope filling out the shorter LoC attached to the back of this zine will be even less of an imposition.
When I was completing my video collection of Starsky & Hutch episodes last summer -- thanks to the help of some wonderfully generous fans -- the final tape that I received was "Birds of a Feather". Upon viewing it, I was baffled that I had no recollection of seeing the episode when it originally aired, for it seemed like such a powerful insight into Hutch's character. Equally baffling was the realization that I'd never seen the episode discussed in any letterzines, nor did I know of any stories that revolved around it.
Perhaps this lack of acknowledgement is the fault of the episode itself. It was either poorly written or poorly edited (or perhaps both), for it was difficult for the viewer to determine the fate of the various characters after the climatic scene, not to mention that it never specifically stated why Luke Huntley was responsible for Hutch becoming a cop. Of course, the one good thing about all those open doors is that it leaves a lot of room for speculation, which in turn sparks the creative process. PRIVATE AGENDAS is the result of an ignited imagination.
Of course, a novel could not develop merely around the fates of Luke and Doris Huntley. It was certainly no hardship to make the growing relationship between Our Boys the central focus of the story. It was also a pleasure to add my love of Thoroughbred racing. I was a little more hesitant to include my view of the stewardess Kathy Marshall (from "Fatal Charm") and her relationship to both Starsky and Hutch, as I realize other viewpoints may differ. Developing a murder case to run throughout the novel was the ingredient needed to tie all the above together.
A couple of disclaimers: First, please note that the dates at the beginning of each chapter are solely for the purpose of displaying passage of time. They are not in any way connected to episodes which aired after "Birds of a Feather". Secondly, the park where the murders take place -- Sandstone Park -- is intended to be fictional. (After I had written the rough draft, California resident Trish Jeffers pointed out that a real Sandstone Park exists in the Los Angeles vicinity.)
I have written over fifty fan stories, and PRIVATE AGENDAS has been the most pleasant creative process that I've ever experienced. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I've enjoyed writing it.
Charlotte Frost
September 1994
