Section Roads was the winner in the POPULAR FICTION category of the 2020 IndieReader Discovery Awards, where undiscovered talent meets people with the power to make a difference.
Following find an interview with author Mike Murphey.
What is the name of the book and when was it published?
Section Roads was published July 8, 2019
What’s the book’s first line?
Little towns don’t forget.
What’s the book about? Give us the “pitch”.
The lives of three friends are shattered by the murder of a classmate during their sophomore year of high school in a small town on the high plains of Eastern New Mexico where life is defined by straight roads and straight laces. Their childhood bond weathers both distance and chapters of estrangement until, at their 40th high school reunion, another killing forces the revelation of old secrets.
What inspired you to write the book? A particular person? An event?
Immediately after my high school graduation in 1969 I left the little Eastern New Mexico Town in which I grew up to attend college at New Mexico State University, leaving my high school sweetheart behind. I thought our relationship would endure because we were destined to be together. We weren’t, it didn’t, and we are both probably better off for it. That summer I read a coming-of-age story called Red Sky at Morning written by a wonderful New Mexico author Richard Bradford about a boy and a girl whose destiny was uncertain. I aspired to be a writer, and decided if I ever was, I wanted to write a book like that.
What’s the most distinctive thing about the main character? Who-real or fictional-would you say the character reminds you of?
Cullen Molloy is a man who doesn’t have many close friendships, but he treasures those he has. He is willing to forgive much and sacrifice much to protect those friendships and those people. He and the other principal characters in Section Roads are based on an amalgamation of people I grew up with.
What’s the main reason someone should really read this book?
If you were privileged to grow up in that incredible time of turmoil and change that was the 1960’s, especially in a small conservative community—or are the child or grandchild of those who did—you’ll find much to relate to in Section Roads in the case of the former, and some things you might not realize about life and love in the case of the latter. Plus, it’s a good book.
If they made your book into a movie, who would you like to see play the main character(s)?
Tom Hanks and Julienne Moore
When did you first decide to become an author?
A couple of high school teachers encouraged my hope that I could be a writer. I had a long career as a newspaper reporter and editor, but didn’t undertake writing a novel until I was sixty and needed something more to do.
Is this the first you’ve written?
The first I’ve published. The third progression of books I’ve written.
What do you do for work when you’re not writing?
I have a baseball business. For many years we produced the Seattle Mariners and Oakland Athletics adult fantasy camps. I have an ongoing partnership with Roy Hobbs Baseball which is the leading adult amateur baseball organization in world. I get to play a lot of baseball.
How much time do you generally spend on your writing?
Probably between four and six hours a day, either writing or editing or other book-related chores.
What’s the best and the hardest part of being an indie?
Being completely independent would be difficult. I work with Acorn Publishing, a hybrid publisher, and I think this relationship offers the best of both worlds. I have the overall quality assurance, in terms of editing, cover, and overall presentation that goes with traditional publishing. Unlike traditional publishing, I own my own rights. The hardest part is finding a place in this vast marketplace. That’s why things like the IndieReader Discovery Awards are so important.
Would you go traditional if a publisher came calling?
I haven’t been offered that choice, but I don’t think so. I’m pretty happy where I am.
Is there something in particular that motivates you (fame? fortune?)
I wouldn’t argue with fame or fortune. But in the present reality, most of us have to write because we love to write. You can’t be indifferent about anything this hard.
Which writer, living or dead, do you most admire?
Mark Twain.
Which book do you wish you could have written?
Huckleberry Finn.