Though I haven’t yet read The
Samaritan’s Pistol, the reviews I’ve seen so far have been phenomenal. This book has been described as a contemporary western, complete with the mob-thriller action
and a main character you can fall in love with. I won’t recommend it for kids,
but from what I hear, adults will love it. Don’t just take my word for it
though.
Even among his small town neighbors, Jim is a content
man. Despite the emotional baggage from his time serving in Desert Storm, he
successfully runs a ranch, owns several beautiful horses, and makes extra cash
as a wilderness guide for wealthy tourists. He’s a modern day cowboy.
That is,
until he runs into an ongoing mob-hit while riding in the mountains. Now, his
most beloved horse is bleeding to death, three mobsters are dead from his
smoking gun, and a wounded criminal is begging for his help. Jim has to make a
decision. He can either high-tail it out of there, or accept a tempting offer
made by the criminal—a promise of millions in stolen mafia cash for any help he
gives.
Of course, only an idiot would turn down such an appealing offer when
they’re marked for death anyway. Besides, Jim’s good nature cannot allow him to
leave someone for dead, even a criminal.
Soon, Jim finds himself on a trip to
retrieve a truckload of stolen money near the Las Vegas strip, right under the
Mafia’s nose. But even if they escape with the cash, will Jim’s conservative
neighbors provide sanctuary for their local Samaritan, and how far will the
mafia
AMM: Welcome Eric.
EB: Thanks for having
me today, Ann Marie.
AMM: It’s my pleasure. Tell me something about yourself that no one knows.
EB: Talk about
starting with the good stuff! The number 10608 holds special significance for
me. My wife, Janilee, and I are volunteer ski patrollers for our local area.
Each year the National Ski Patrol gives a number to veteran patrollers. To be
considered, a patroller needs advanced certifications in first aid, avalanche,
ski and toboggan handling and experience working lots of accidents for the
skiing public. The coolest part of receiving a national number is that you are
nominated by your peers, fellow patrollers you’ve worked shoulder to shoulder
with taking injured skiers and snowboarders off the mountain. It was a great
honor after a decade of patrolling with folks who are my closest friends.
AMM: I’m impressed!
Kudos, and well deserved I can tell. Is there a specific place where you
write? Do you stick to a routine?
EB: I bounce between a
man cave in my barn and an office in the house. I heard someone quote Stephen
King as saying he reads, writes or critiques every day. So depending on the
temperature of the barn and the noise level of my teenagers, twenty-four hours
seldom passes without my doing one of those three things in either place.
AMM: LOL. What are you reading now?
EB: I’m on the final
chapter of an old Dean Koontz book,’ The Door to December’. I plan to start
Teri Harmon’s ‘Blood Moon’ next. Here’s something else few people know. I read
very slowly. Authors who read two books a week, work on their own project and
balance family inspire me. I try to finish one book a month, but struggle to
get it done at that pace.
AMM: Well I definitely fall into that category of
writer who can read very quickly.
And, so you know, you are going to love Blood
Moon! Tell me, what are you favorite books? Who are your favorite authors?
EB: I love stories
that balance character, premise and writing. One of my theories on writing is
that the best stuff creates magic beyond the sum of the three parts. Few books
get to that sublime place where all three interact in a way that immerses me
mind, body and soul. But there are some. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
stands alone in literature as a cross genre classic. Cormac McCarthy sending
John Grady Cole to Mexico and Back in All the Pretty Horses left nothing undone
for me. Hemingway’s The Old Man and The Sea, Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men. I
recently read Andrew Smith’s The Marbury Lens and Passenger. Stephen King’s
Under the Dome still haunts me. Robert Olmstead’s Coal Black Horse made me
forever grateful I didn’t live during the Civil war.
AMM: You hang with
some amazing writers! Is there a muse in your life?
EB: I have four
daughters. When it comes to writing, they’ve each inspired me. I’ve blogged
about rambunctious toddlers and teenagers regularly. I heard a Kevin Costner
interview where he mentioned humor as a natural thing that presents itself when
the circumstances are right. It made me think about the give and take of family
life, the richness and heartache, and how there is a never-ending stream of
stories that present themselves. Even as a writer I struggle for the words to
use for my wife, Janilee. Smart, athletic, happy, caring, hopeful and pretty
all apply, but I can’t quite put it together. She’s the love of my life.
Perhaps I’ll know I’ve arrived as an author when I can put my feelings for her
into words.
AMM: Aw, that’s so
sweet… Can you tell me about your experience getting published?
EB: This was really my
experience as a writer. With my family’s support, I sat down to write five years
ago. The itch became a full-blown allergy as I blasted out a rough draft for ‘The
Samaritan’s Pistol’ in two months. The creativity, story details, characters
all came to me while writing. In some ways it was spooky, like watching a movie
in my head that flowed onto the screen as words. The first draft frankly
sucked. At least the word for word writing did. Making good sentences from the
right words that then become paragraphs chapters and ultimately a novel is a
learned skill. At least that’s my assessment. I’ve always enjoyed the art of
storytelling verbally, but putting it on paper takes practice. As time passed I
rewrote my original story eight times. The original premise and story are
intact but hopefully much better written. Rejections piled up here and there as
I was working, but eventually I got a ‘yes’ from Jolly Fish Press.
AMM: Well I’m glad you
held on, and now you’re at the point of living your dream. My final question
for you is this. What’s behind The
Samaritan's Pistol?
EB: I’ve always loved
stories about tough resilient problem solving people, real men and women who
persevere. Additionally I love cross genre stories that appeal to more than one
fan base. Music is the perfect metaphor. The Samaritan’s Pistol is my attempt
to create the Johnny Cash of novels. I grew up in the west and always felt it
was the perfect setting for any story. All this percolated into what Jolly Fish
Press is promoting as a Rocky Mountain thriller. My story has elements of
western, crime, thriller, suspense, gangster, and with the title taken from my
favorite parable there’s even some inspiration.
ERIC BISHOP
is known to his friends and family as an “author version of Clint Eastwood”. As
the owner of a successful marketing firm, Bishop spends most of his time on his
Utah ranch writing with the music of his adolescence bouncing off the walls.
When he’s not writing, Bishop enjoys spending time with his wife and four
lovely daughters at his home in Nibley, Utah. Unlike Jim, Bishop hasn’t had any
run-ins with the Mafia. Yet.
Here's where you can find Eric:
Website: www.eric-bishop.com
Twitter:
@EricBishopWords
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ericbishopauthor
Barnes and Noble: http://tinyurl.com/m4d765f
Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/my9kjxy
Thank you Ann Marie!
ReplyDelete