Book Tour ~ The White River Killer

Title: The White River Killer
Author: Stephen Wilson
Publisher: Stephen Wilson
Genre: Mystery

John Riley Hubbard is a young farmer and part-time reporter in a small southern town. After the body of an Arab college student is found near his home, Hubbard reluctantly agrees to cover the grisly story for the local paper. When he discovers there is a surprising link from this crime to his father’s unsolved murder, he becomes obsessed with uncovering the killer’s identity. Since he was a child, Hubbard has been haunted by nightmares and suspicions that his father’s killer may be the man closest to him – his wealthy uncle.

As his investigation progresses, he must face mounting threats from an unseen adversary and managed his growing attraction to Maria, a young Latino woman who might be part of the conspiracy.

The White River Killer is an exciting mixture of mystery, romance, and suspense.

For More Information

The White River KIller is available at Amazon.
Pick up your copy at Barnes & Noble.

About The Author

 

Stephen Wilson is an American author. His first book was Harvey Couch – An Entrepreneur Brings Electricity to Arkansas, published in 1986 by August House publishers. He also has won awards for his screenplays which have been presented by the Writer’s Workshop program at the American Film Institute. His latest work, The White River Killer was developed as part of the Summer Words program at the Aspen Institute.

In addition to writing, he is a marketing and advertising professional.

His latest book is the mystery novel, The White River Killer.

For More Information

• Connect with Stephen on Twitter.
• Find out more about Stephen at Goodreads.

EXCERPT

IT WAS THE FLOWER GARDEN THAT DID MARIA IN. Hubbard agreed to till up his mother’s old flower garden that had gone to seed for a new garden. Maria, through Emily’s translation, had requested a fun summertime activity.

Emily was a born salesperson. “It will teach me responsibility if I water it every day. I need that bad.”

The flower garden was followed by an irrigation request for the home’s vegetable garden.

Neither of the planting activities was unusual for a farm. That’s not what drove Hubbard to act. What troubled Hubbard was that Emily now referred to them as Maria’s flower garden and Maria’s vegetables.

There was no time to waste. From his tractor, Hubbard called Mr. Carlos and told him that Maria wasn’t working out. After his obligation at the Tomato Festival, they had to find new work for her. Mr. Carlos didn’t understand the connection between Maria and the annual event, but he reluctantly agreed to look for a new opportunity for the girl.

Hubbard feared he would eventually screw up with her. She was always within arm’s reach and he was too damned attracted to her. Sometimes the pain of his growing desire made him feel like he was burning alive. It made him want to drink to deal with it. That’s why she had to go.

INTERVIEW

Stephen, Thanks for being here today. Please tell our readers about yourself
I was born in Detroit, Michigan but I spent most of my life in Arkansas. I’ve been in advertising and marketing for over 20 years. I’ve done a lot of corporate writing but this is my first attempt at a novel. I’ve had done creative writing before now. I’ve written a play for our local college and have had two staged readings of my screenplays (unsold) at the American Film Institute’s Writer’s Workshop program.

What inspires you to get out of bed each day?
On most days it’s the promise of a paycheck. But the days where the house is quiet and I’m free to write are especially precious to me. Writing and inventing a new world and the characters that inhabit it is an especially liberating experience. I think every writer must experience something like that – the total freedom that a blank page provides. You’re the boss and whatever you write is the way it is.

If you could hang out with one famous person for one day, who would it be and why?
Theodore Roosevelt – he was so accomplished in so many fields. I’d like to see how he handled his day and all the responsibilities he had. Of course, I’d have to be careful not to be run over during his active “bully” schedule.

What’s the story behind your latest book?
The story’s main character is John Riley Hubbard, a young farmer who makes ends meet by covering high school sports for the local newspaper. He reluctantly accepts an assignment to cover the discovery of a body of a college town in the notorious Shanty Town – a row of abandoned sharecropper houses that locals think are haunted by the souls of the recently departed. Hubbard, a recovering alcoholic, is concerned about returning to a place he swore he’d never visit again. When he was twelve, his father was murdered by an unknown assailant. He spent that summer, every night, in Shanty Town hoping to meet his father’s ghost and learn the killer’s identity. When that moment occurred, the young boy ran away. An act he viewed as a betrayal of his father.

Rumors in the small town always mentioned his uncle as the possible killer – an accusation he defended with his fists, since the story also implicated his mother as the reason for the killing.

What begins as a cursory investigation for the part-time reporter becomes an obsession when circumstantial evidence begins to implicate his uncle. He reasons that if his uncle was capable of one murder – he was capable of his father’s murder. The pressure mounts for Hubbard as an unseen advisory begins to threaten him. His internal battle is to resist the urge to return to the bottle and follow the leads to there resolution. Although he knows, that knowing the truth might sidetrack his tentative recovery from alcoholism and lead to his own destruction as well.

Tell us your writing process
I try to envision the whole story from start to finish – all the scenes and snatches of dialogue that help define the characters. When I have it firmly (I think) in my head, I begin to write.

Tell us about your main character:
John Riley Hubbard is a man haunted by his past. This murder case will challenge him in unexpected ways. He displays remarkable internal courage as he moves forward seeking a truth that may be too painful for him to bear.

What are you working on next?
A time-traveling book geared toward young adults. Two brothers find themselves transported to rural Tennessee in the 1879 and try to survive while finding their way back home.

Do you have any special/extraordinary talents?
I wish I did!

Who are your favorite authors?
F. Scott Fitzgerald.

What do you like to do with your free time?
I have a teenage daughter who fills my time taking her to all her school and social activities. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Where can people find you on the web?
That’s something I’ve yet to do. I know I need to be there and I hope to have something up soon.

Any final thoughts?
I think readers will enjoy this mystery, it has a nice blend of drama and dry humor that makes for an entertaining read.