Schism
by Gregory
Eaves
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
SCHISM
is an atmospheric journey back in time to the year 1970, when drugs and
anti-war protests dominated the headlines. This psychological suspense mystery
follows the life of a middle-aged college professor, Jackson Boone, as he tries
to unravel the truth about his girlfriend. He is in danger of losing his job,
and perhaps his life, when he takes on a violent radical group in the process.
Haunted by a past mistake, Boone tries to do the right thing in a world of
increasingly ambiguous moral shadings.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Excerpt
Next Canto addressed the small, but well-lit kitchen. The
refrigerator created a deep hum that might have been soothing in a larger
space, but was irritating here. The lieutenant shook his head when he heard it.
They opened all the cabinet doors and peeked inside the refrigerator. No dice.
Miller was losing patience. He flipped on an old Magnavox table radio out of
boredom.
“That figures. It’s dead.”
“Forget it, Miller. Help me move the fridge so I can see
behind it.”
Miller checked the plug, and then he lifted the radio up to
move it. “Something’s not right here, sir.”
“Let me see it,” Canto demanded. He picked up the radio. A
heavy object was definitely loose inside which wasn’t original equipment.
Miller produced a screwdriver from a kitchen drawer, and they removed the back
panel.
“What in God’s name is this doing in here?” Canto asked. He
pulled out a soldering iron, coils of wire, and a blasting cap from the empty
shell of the radio. “It looks like there may have been more to Miss Riley’s
life than just college classes and coke dates.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Gregory Eaves
was born October 18, 1950, in Indianapolis, Indiana. He attended Speedway High
School and Indiana University. In his twenties, he traveled extensively
throughout the United States, with an eight year stay in San Diego, California,
where he studied and practiced meditation.
Gregory moved
to Florida and completed a master’s degree in Library and Information Science
from the University of South Florida.
Library
school rekindled his interest in reading, which had been his favorite activity
as a child growing up. Mysteries had been his first love, and he devoured his
first mystery books with singular passion and zeal. Nothing else seemed to hit
the sweet spot like reading The Hardy Boys, Sherlock Holmes, and Poirot. He
later enjoyed authors like Raymond Chandler, John D. McDonald, Graham Greene,
Patricia Highsmith, and others.
SCHISM is
Gregory’s first novel. His prior
experience with writing included poetry and short stories. One of his
short-shorts won runner-up in a contest in Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine.
He now lives
on the east coast of Florida, and when he isn’t writing, he enjoys playing
guitar and collecting vintage stereo gear and vinyl records. He is a member of
American Mensa.
Interview:
Where are you from?
I was born in a suburb of Indianapolis called Speedway, and went
to Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana. Bloomington is the setting for
my first novel, and I used my knowledge of that place to make the novel
realistic and plausible.
Tell us your latest news?
I’ve started working on a novella finally, after having trouble
getting past the planning stages. Too much procrastination. It’s going to be a
challenge because it takes place in China, which means a lot of reading for me
to do in the months ahead. I’m excited about this project.
When and why did you begin writing?
I honestly don’t remember the exact moment that I decided to
write fiction. It kind of came like a bolt out of the blue. I had a lot of free
time because I couldn’t find a job, but I had had free time before, and writing
never occurred to me then. I don’t know. When is a little easier – it was the
fall of 2008.
When did you first consider yourself a writer?
In the fall of 2008. Almost immediately. It was like coming
home, or waking up after a long sleep.
What inspired you to write your first book?
I had a lot of unresolved feelings about my college experience
in the sixties, and I felt like I wanted to write about that. The novel kind of
morphed into something else as I wrote it, but that was my original impetus.
what would you like my readers to know?
I also have a collection of mystery short stories out called Curious Stories. I hope everyone will give
that a look. It’s pretty eclectic; a couple have supernatural overtones, others
a noir Chandleresque feel. The first story in the collection came to me while I
was reading a lot of Patricia Highsmith, and the second one while I was reading
Stephen King. After I wrote “The Editor is Always Right”, which is the second
story in the collection, I discovered that Stephen King lives in a Victorian
house very much like the one in the story, and that he lives in Maine. I had no
idea, when I wrote it.
Links:
Thank you for hosting
ReplyDeleteI would also like to thank you for hosting. I'll be back later this afternoon, in case anyone has comments or questions.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy the interview
ReplyDeleteFascinating excerpt. I really enjoyed it.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your kind comments. I'm looking forward to publishing more stories, and growing and learning as a writer. Be on the lookout for the next one!
ReplyDeleteinteresting excerpt...thx u for hosting :)
ReplyDeleteloved the interview!
ReplyDelete