BOOK OF THE MONTH
The Spirit of
Whiskey River
by
Ray Ryder.
A snapshot of the story:
The Spirit of
Whiskey River is a modern
day love story wrapped in a century-old murder mystery. Its primary setting is in a fictitious rural Alabama town called Whiskey River. The
author employs use of flashbacks to take the reader on a ride with stops in the nineteenth century, fast forwarding to the
twenty-first century.
The link between the two
time periods is accomplished with the aid of an elderly female Choctaw Indian called Kalawih. The protagonist, Jay Colebrook,
enlists her aid when he experiences repeated incidents of déjà vu upon his arrival in Whiskey River. Romance is introduced into the
mystery in the person of Cheri Smith, a local girl to whom Jay is attracted. Conflict arises when Cheri’s former boy
friend gets wind of the budding romance and plots to remove Jay from the scene. ~
Editor: Welcome to The Infinite Writer, Ray.
RR: Thank you. It’s a pleasure to be selected for this honor.
Editor: You are joining the distinguished ranks of such authors as Gordon Tucker (Shadow) and Russ Heitz, (CROSSHAIRS), last month’s BOM, Infusion of Evil, by David Rosenberg. It is our endeavor to seek out the best in all genres.
RR: I’m doubly, no—tripley (is there such a word) grateful.
Editor: Where did you get the idea for this story?
RR: One day not long after finishing my first book (The Rockwater Mountain Murders),
I was talking with my brother-in-law about his experiences as a hypnotist. During our conversation he also mentioned
how he was studying to become a facilitator for people interested in experiencing past life regression. While we were
talking the wheels started turning in my mind, with the notion of a novel about a century-old murder that is solved through
someone who achieves a past life regression. Once I had that piece of the plot in place the rest was simply finding
an interesting setting and characters to keep people reading. A year and a half later The Spirit of Whiskey River went
to press, and hopefully people will keep reading.
Editor: What are your plans for future novels?
RR: I am currently working on a third novel with a local Florida setting during the mid-twenties land boom era. The book is about a quarter
written and if all goes well I may have it finished in mid-2008.
Editor: Most writers are also readers. Are you reading anything at present?
RR: Yes, I’m reading The
Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler.
Editor: Where can the reader purchase your book?
RR: Anyone can buy it through my website:
www.RayRyder.com.
Editor: Thank you, Ray. We’ll look forward to your next book.
