Today I’m chatting with debut novelist, Samuel Parker, about his thriller, the best part of his day, and the working title of Purgatory Road. Be sure to enter the giveaway for the chance to win a copy of Purgatory Road via the Rafflecopter form below, for yourself or the thriller reader in your life.

The Writer

Please describe yourself in three words (ask your best friend or family if you are struggling!)

Witty, Intelligent, Determined (According to my wife)

What’s your favourite season, and why?

Fall.  I like the cooler days and the haunting feel of the season.

What is the best part of your day?

Arriving home from work.

What do you miss most about your childhood?

I miss the sense that the world is full of wonder and mystery.  As I get older, the world seems to shrink.

Which TV talk show host would you like to be interviewed by? Why?

It would have been great to have been interviewed by John McLaughlin. “Issue #1…what’s with your book?”  It would have made no sense, and thus, a great interview.

You are at a fruit market – what do you reach for first?

I would reach for someone who could tell me how I ended up at a fruit market.

What is one author and/or book you always recommend?

It depends on who is asking and what they are into reading.  Top books for me are Crime and Punishment by Dostoevsky, In Cold Blood by Capote, and Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy.  If someone wants a more recreational recommendation, I usually lean toward Robert Parker, Daniel Silva, or John Connolly.

The Book

When a day trip out of Las Vegas with his wife takes a turn for the worse, Jack is sure that he has the ability to get them home. But he drove into something far beyond reason.

Rescue comes in the form of a desert hermit, but hope fades as the couple comes to realize that the nomad has no intention of letting them leave. A chance encounter with a kidnapped runaway and her crazed abductor leads them all farther into the wilderness–and closer to the cold brutality that isolation brings.

At the edge of his sanity, Jack begins to learn that playing by another’s rules may be the only way to survive.

In a voice that is as hypnotizing as a desert mirage, debut novelist Samuel Parker entices readers down a dangerous road, where the forces of good and evil are as crushing as the Mojave heat. This is suspense in its purest, most unfiltered form.

What was the working title?

The working title of this book was Document1.doc.

Describe your book in 5 adjectives

Gritty, Fast-paced, Suspenseful, Thoughtful, and hopefully…Unique

Which character took you by surprise?

Boots really took me by surprise as he become more and more real.  He took on a lot more character as the story developed, and I think he is the most memorable in the book.

What was the latest you stayed up working on this story?

I remember being up at least until 3 a.m. several nights.  I tend to binge write, where I will go several weeks without putting words to paper, then spit it out all in one flurry.

Which character’s name was the hardest to choose?

Laura.  Although it sounds easy enough, I just couldn’t land on the right name.  So, my wife picked it out and it fit.

What’s something that didn’t make it into the final copy?

There was a long conversation between Boots and Red that was in the last chapter.  It was very dark and borderline nihilistic and my editor asked to cut it out.  The story ends better without that piece, but I still have it and think it’s an interesting conversation.  Cormac McCarthy ends some of his novels in such a fashion, and I think I was just trying my best to impersonate that style of story conclusion.

Thanks Samuel!

Samuel Parker was born in the Michigan boondocks but was raised on a never-ending road trip through the US. Besides writing, he is a process junkie and the ex-guitarist for several metal bands you’ve never heard of. He lives in West Michigan with his wife and twin sons.

Relz Reviewz Extras
Visit Samuel’s website
Buy at Amazon: Purgatory Road or Koorong

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