The writing process provided him with a bit of an outlet from his high-pressure job, Vonnegut said. From 5 to 7 a.m. every morning, he churned out words--a process that put him in control and insulated him from what waited at the office.

"Writing a novel, while working full time in financial services, was a terrific way to carve out some personal space," he said. "As a stockbroker, I suffered from sensory overload: television No. 1 tuned to CNBC; television No. 2 tuned to Fox Business; squawk box broadcasting proprietary research; internal e-mail; gmail; cell phone; umpteen land lines; and open-plan cubicles with everybody's private life within earshot. Because of the constant demands on my time, not to mention all the ambient noise, I looked for a place to decompress.

"While writing, I was in charge--no sensory overload. And I liked it. The sense of control ultimately gave me the stamina to finish Top Producer."

Which isn't to say that all the disciplined writing meant charting out every twist of his book. Creativity "doesn't come with an on-off switch," he said. And the creativity that flowed from that allowed him to play with some of the convoluted language of Wall Street. What does "Five million Buckeye five and seven-eighths of forty-seven to go at six" mean? Maybe it's best to start with something simple, like "Money good."

"It means investors will recoup all their principal plus interest," he said. "Here's an example:

"Trader 1: 'I'm worried about that bond. Moody's just downgraded the credit.' Trader 2: 'Nah, man. It's money good.'"

And in Vonnegut's world, the Streeters are as creative with their violence as they are with their language.

"I know little about weapons, which never factored into my career on Wall Street," he said. "That's why I went with sharks, something I understand, in Top Producer."

For more about Vonnegut and Top Producer, visit his Web site at http://www.norbvonnegut.com. 

Contributing editor Gerry Doyle is the author of numerous short stories published in the United States, abroad and on the Internet. His first novel, FROM THE DEPTHS, was released in November 2007 by McBooks Press. He worked for nearly a decade as an editor and a reporter for the Chicago Tribune; he currently is an editor at The National newspaper in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. He's also OK at ping-pong and has had cocktails on four continents. He doesn't put much stock in astrology but just in case: He's a Leo.