Featured Author - J.R. Wirth

J.R. Wirth is an emerging author of fiction and has published ten short stories. His first full length novel is soon to be published. J.R. is a licensed psychotherapist and currently supervises at a forensic unit in Southern California. J.R. tends to highlight the conflict, frailty and hero in all of us. He was kind enough to share his thoughts with me. Enjoy :-) 

Why do you write?

I started writing when I was displaced from a 21 year job. I was actually working three jobs at the time, though one was on summer break. I stopped them all, caught my breath, and started writing. I‘ve been writing ever since. I don’t know if there’s a certain genre for my writing, but it tends to be a bit thrilling and edgy. 

Which writers inspire you?

I would say that Koontz, Grisham, and Dan Brown are my favorites.

What is your favorite book and why?

My favorite books are Lightning (Koontz), the Client (Grisham) and Da Vinci Code (Brown), with Lightning being read more than once, at different times in my life.

What do you think is the easiest thing about writing? What is the most difficult?

Easiest thing about writing is also the most fun – developing characters, particularly showing their inner strength and frailty.  The hardest part is comma’s (too many or too few).

From books that have already been published by other authors, which book do you wish you had written? 

I would have liked to have written all the above books…

How do you market your books? 

Marketing has been with social media and word of mouth but am planning on making an effort to reach out to local book stores.

Any new release? If yes, what is it about?

I have a book coming out in early 2015 – In Passing

Book Blurb

Trying to bring closure to her haunted youth, Mary Elizabeth Stroll’s past and present converge during an equally haunting, day long interview.

In Passing is a dark, yet romantic, paranormal tale, which thrusts two adolescent, suicide victims into a haunting afterlife odyssey where they find love and meaning. The journey leads them to intervene in the lives of other distressed young people, all the while amorous feelings grow. The two are then reunited with their lifeless bodies to search for the truth and their lost love.                                           

Nine years gone, Mary agrees to an interview with a seminary student, Alex Renteria. Alex is completing his thesis on divine interventions, and near death experiences. Mary recalls her extraordinary afterlife adventure during the course of a daylong interview, which quickly morphs into an equally-haunting, parallel adventure.

In Passing flows between first person (narrated by Mary as a youth [Lizzy]) and third person creating an intense immediacy that will take the reader on a breath-stealing adventure, and race against death; all the while tackling a variety of controversial issues including: suicide, runaways, school violence, abortion, child abuse, and substance abuse, etc.

Excerpt: In Passing

As promised, I open my eyes to a new dramatic scene. It is cold and sterile here, surrounded by walls of steel. Musty, quiet and dark is the room where we stand. It must be night where we are, but where are we? I feel an overwhelming sense of gloom in this metal container. 

The air is thick, and reeks of death. Are we in the future? I wonder. Have we been transported to some post-apocalyptic safe room?

“Where have we been transported?” to Bart, I ask. “This place frightens me.”

Bart hears the apprehension in my voice. He pulls me close to blanket my fear. He now puts his finger to my lips and whispers, “Never fear, my love, I will always protect you.”

His physical and verbal touch refreshes my canvas, whitewashing this face of fear. Yet, from the endings of my nerves, the tremors from within do not completely subside. The shivers of dread, I feel, loom just beyond my spinal cord’s reach, waiting to pounce at the drop of a feather. 

Bart releases his grip and turns his attention to this room of despair. And though I feel in dire straits, and in need of his constant, reassuring touch, I must let the scene develop. Bart must find the reason for our mission at this location. And, I dare say, we have yet to find the reason for our being together on this extended adventure.

Before he completely disengages, I squeeze Bart’s body one last time. I now allow him to uncouple and examine the room.

Bart walks about the frigid, uncaring concrete floor. He has that detective look again. I trust he will uncover the place, and reason, for our arrival.

Bart stops and peeks through a tiny porthole. The circular window, encased within the exit door, I sense,  leads to more darkness, with much greater anguish.

You can also connect with JR Wirth:

https://www.facebook.com/Author.JRWirth

http://bookstogonow.com/books/town-beneath-christmas-tree/

http://www.amazon.com/J.R.-Wirth/e/B00R9SDSR8/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1

http://www.inflightlitmag.com/issues/issue2/

https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/31923436-j-r-wirth