The Myth of Love received a 4+ star review, making it an IndieReader Approved title.
Following find an interview with author Randy Niederman.
What is the name of the book and when was it published?
The Myth of Love (Jan 6, 2018)
What’s the book’s first line?
Currents of eternal change course through the All Knowing awareness.
What’s the book about? Give us the “pitch”.
A dark, gritty, pulp-fiction style thriller involving two mythological beings, who sacrifice immortality in a quest to experience human love. A supernatural love affair between an alcoholic private eye and a Russian dominatrix. Their quest for love upsets the balance of the universe triggering a civil war between mythological beings. The story juxtaposes the sacred and the profane, intertwining sexuality and violence with eastern mysticism.
What inspired you to write the book? A particular person? An event?
The premise for this novel came during a solitary drive from Athens, Georgia to South Florida. It’s a ten-hour drive and my GPS battery died an hour in, causing me to miss a turn. About forty-five minutes later, I realized the error and plugged the GPS into the charger. The GPS directed me to take a country road through the woods. It was a single lane highway that was pitch black except for my headlights. I had no idea where I was and became anxious wondering if I might run out of gas in the middle of nowhere. To ease my tension, I listened to music from a playlist I created many years ago.
The song Furious Angels came on, which is from an album by the same title by Rob Dugan. The song describes a love affair, in which the woman leaves a man. He claims that her leaving would so disturb the heavens that furious angels would drag her back to him. As I drove I wondered how this scene would look in a movie. To pass the time I imagined what could have happened earlier in the story leading up to such a dramatic moment. By the time I arrived in Florida I had worked out a story that I thought would make for a good novel.
What’s the main reason someone should really read this book?
Readers should be attracted to realistic action sequences mixed with spiritual philosophy and suspense.
What’s the most distinctive thing about the main character? Who-real or fictional-would you say the character reminds you of?
The male character is based on my time working as a private investigator in South Florida during the Great Recession, when I could not find work as a social worker (even though I have a Ph.D. and decades of experience). The female lead character is based on a Russian woman I met and became friends with, who worked as a dominatrix.
Is this the first book you’ve written?
This is my first novel. My first book was a self-help book called, Be Your Spirit: A guide to health and happiness.
What do you do for work when you’re not writing?
I am an emergency room psychiatric social worker.
How much time do you generally spend on your writing?
Four or five hours a day.