Coming
of Age / Mystery / Humor
Date
Published: June 8, 2019
Publisher:
Acorn Publishing
When
attorney Cullen Molloy attends his fortieth high school reunion, he doesn’t
expect to be defending childhood friends against charges of murder…
In
a small town on the high plains of Eastern New Mexico, life and culture are
shaped by the farm roads defining the 640-acre sections of land homesteaders
claimed at the turn of the Twentieth Century. Cullen and Shelby Blaine explore
first love along these section roads during the 1960’s, forging a life-long
emotional bond.
As junior high school band nerds, Cullen
and Shelby fall under the protection of football player and loner, Buddy Boyd.
During their sophomore year of high school, Buddy is charged with killing a
classmate and is confined to a youth correctional facility. When he returns to
town facing the prospect of imprisonment as an adult, Cullen becomes Buddy’s
protector.
The case haunts the three friends into
adulthood, and it isn’t until their fortieth reunion, that they’re forced to
revisit that horrible night. When a new killing takes place, Cullen, Shelby and
Buddy find themselves reliving the nightmare.
Murder is an easy thing to hide along
old country section roads.
Advance
Praise
“An
ambitious, evocative small-town tale located somewhere between Peyton Place and
The Last Picture Show.” –Kirkus Review
Read
the Full Review
Interview
What’s the hardest part of writing your books?
Some
days everything is hard. Others, not so much. Just as readers love some parts
of books more than others, writers like some parts better. The obligatory parts
of a novel—like back story—can be tedious. Minor characters can be difficult to
write because you just don’t care about them as much, yet you still must
differentiate them from others. The part of writing I like least is final
revision. I have a long list of words—the, and, in, out, up, down, to, but,
that, well, just and a dozen others. I do a “find” on each one and see how many
can be removed. I go through the entire manuscript for each word. By doing
this, you discover how many words and phrases, particularly prepositional
phrases, are superfluous. This process can easily reduce a 90,000-word manuscript
by 10,000 words without sacrificing meaning or clarity.
What songs are most played on your Ipod?
Right
now, 60’s folk music. My current project is a non-fiction book on The Chad
Mitchell Trio and the 60’s folk music era. So that’s what I’m listening to and
I love it. Other than that, a mixture of country and 60’s-70’s rock.
Do you have critique partners or beta readers?
I do,
but not many. Genuinely objective people can be difficult to find. I really
appreciate those I do find.
What book are you reading now?
I write
for Acorn Publishing, and they encourage their authors to read each other. So,
I’ve just finished The Devil’s Own by K.A. Fox and my current bathtub
book is Dark Paradise by Gene Desrochers, both of which I’ve enjoyed.
I’m also reading Greg Isles’ most recent novel, Cemetery Road.
How did you start your writing career?
I was
newspaper reporter and editor for almost thirty years and I did some magazine
freelancing as well. I wanted to write a novel, but for the longest time, I
thought that ability just wasn’t in my genetic code. I couldn’t sustain
anything longer than a short story. After not writing at all for several years,
during which time a story concept kept nagging me, eight years ago I decided I
would make myself write at least 500 words every day. Just somehow get words on
paper. As I did my story and characters emerged. I know many writers say that’s
not the way you’re supposed to do it, but it’s the only way that worked for me.
Tell us about your next release.
In
December, we will release a novel called The ConMan. This is a fictionalized
version of an itinerate professional pitcher’s life in baseball. I am fortunate
to know a man named Keith Comstock who pitched professionally for sixteen
years, finally making the majors in his thirties. He’s a remarkable man with a
remarkable story and I’m glad he trusted me with it.
About
the Author
Mike
Murphey is a native of eastern New Mexico and spent almost thirty years as an
award-winning newspaper journalist in the Southwest and Pacific Northwest.
Following his retirement from the newspaper business, he and his wife Nancy
entered in a seventeen-year partnership with the late Dave Henderson, all-star
centerfielder for the Oakland Athletics, Boston Red Sox and Seattle Mariners.
Their company produces the A’s and Mariners adult baseball Fantasy Camps. They
also have a partnership with the Roy Hobbs adult baseball organization in Fort
Myers, Florida. They love baseball, fiction, cats and sailing. They split their
time between Spokane, Washington, and Phoenix, Arizona. Mike enjoys life as a
writer and old-man baseball player.
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thanks for hosting
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