Blood in the Water received a 4+ star review, making it an IndieReader Approved title.
Following find an interview with author Rick Outzen.
What is the name of the book, and when was it published?
Blood in the Water was published on September 7, 2020.
What’s the book’s first line?
“What the hell are you doing?”
What’s the book about? Give us the “pitch”.
In a classic tale of redemption, Southern newspaper publisher Walker Holmes rediscovers meaning in life and passion for exposing the truth when an explosion at the county jail peels off the masks worn by the town’s leaders to reveal the racist, corrupt and power-hungry faces beneath.
What inspired you to write the book? A particular person? An event?
The creation of Walker Holmes is inspired by the late Hodding Carter, founder/publisher/editor of The Delta Democrat Times in Greenville, Mississippi. He courageously challenged Jim Crow laws and segregation in the fifties and sixties. He won a Pulitzer for his editorial writing and was an inspiration to a generation of reporters in the South.
His son and grandchildren lived down the street from us in Greenville. I dedicated my first book in this series, City of Grudges, to Hodding. His grandson, Hodding IV, wrote an endorsement of the book.
What’s the main reason someone should really read this book?
“Blood in the Water” is an authentic portrayal of journalism in a small town in Florida. The themes of white supremacy, police violence/corruption, and crooked politicians are highly relevant today.
The book is a classic redemption tale with a crime thriller plot and contains a perfect arc for Walker Holmes as he grows from down-on-his-luck, depressed alcoholic to the journalist who rediscovers his calling in life by exposing the truth about the racist corruption eating away at the town, thus becoming the town’s hero.
What’s the most distinctive thing about the main character? Who-real or fictional-would you say the character reminds you of?
Walker Holmes has a “justice gene” that drives him to seek truth and justice regardless of the odds or risk to his personal safety. His personal life is a train wreck, but he doesn’t let it interfere with getting the story.
Walker reminds me of Billy McBride in the Amazon series Goliath and Jake Gittes in the movie Chinatown.
If they made your book into a movie, who would you like to see play the main character(s)?
Walker Holmes – Jason Bateman; Dare Evans – Cate Blanchett; Gravy Graves –Anthony Michael Hall
When did you first decide to become an author?
I’ve always enjoyed mysteries. As I began working on bigger and bigger investigative stories, I saw how the real-life stories would work in a fictional environment. In 2008, I created Walker Holmes for a series of short stories for my blog, which later served as a foundation for the first Walker Holmes novel, City of Grudges.
Is this the first book you’ve written?
No, this is a sequel to City of Grudges.
What do you do for work when you’re not writing?
I’m the publisher and owner of Pensacola Inweekly, an alt-weekly that was founded in 1999.
How much time do you generally spend on your writing?
On my books, I spend two hours four nights a week after dinner and, with any luck, about eight to ten hours on weekends.
What’s the best and the hardest part of being an indie?
The best thing is the thrill of seeing readers enjoy your characters as much as you do. The hardest is believing in your writing and that there is an audience for your books.
What’s a great piece of advice that you can share with fellow indie authors?
Be unafraid to ask for help from others. I’ve learned a great deal from listening to more experienced writers and reading their blogs.