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
Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to
grasp?
To a
large extent, I think the message a reader finds in a novel is shaped by his or
her personal experience, what aspects of the book that experience allows them
to relate to most. What I hope people take from Section Roads is that
life is short, genuine friendship is rare, and neither should be taken for
granted.
Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your
writing?
I
recently answered that question in another interview, so I’ll repeat it here.
Everything. Writing is hard. Baring your soul to the public is hard. Rejection
is hardest. Writers must cling to whatever validation they can find.
How many books have you written, and which is your favorite?
I’m
working on my sixth book right now. Section Roads is the first to be
published. I know this is a cliché, but books are like children. You put so
much of yourself into them, you care about each of them the same. Just because
one might be more successful than the others doesn’t mean you withhold your
affection. You write a book, you send it out into the world hoping it will find
a way to earn its keep, but sometimes, its just comes back home and lives in
the basement.
If you had the chance to cast your main character from
Hollywood today, who would you pick, and why?
Section
Roads follows the paths of four friends over a period of forty-five years,
so different actors would be cast as children and adults. For the scenes
involving their 40th high school reunion—for Shelby, Diane Lane or
Julianne Moore; for Cullen, Greg Kinnear; for Buddy, Liam Neeson; Steve Buscemi
would make a great Weard Ward.
When did you begin writing?
I’ve
always written in some fashion, so, I suppose, in grade school.
How long did it take to complete your first book?
Eight
years and counting. I’ve found that a book is never complete until the printer
finally wrests it from your hands and shouts, “Enough!” Until a book is in
print, the editing goes on and on forever. My first book is still waiting for
that to occur.
Did you have an author who inspired you to become a writer?
Mark
Twain. What an extraordinary intellectual talent who didn’t have to be
complicated to be profound.
What is your favorite part of the writing process?
Finally
knowing your characters well enough that the words just flow.
Can you share a little bit about your current work or what
is in the future for your writing.
My
current project is a non-fiction book about The Chad Mitchell Trio and the
1960’s folk music era. In December, The ConMan will be my second published
novel. This is a fictionalized version of an itinerate pitcher’s life in
baseball. A friend named Keith Comstock spent sixteen years in professional
baseball, finally making the majors in his thirties. He is a remarkable man who
has led a remarkable life and I’m fortunate that he trusted me with his story.
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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1 Comments
I like books about friendships, and the fact that the story took place in the beginning, during the 60s, definitely makes it something I'd enjoy reading.
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