Thursday, August 12, 2010

Solitary: A Novel (Review)

Solitary: A Novel (Solitary Tales Series) 
Description:  When Chris Buckley moves to Solitary, North Carolina, he faces the reality of his parents’ divorce, a school full of nameless faces—and Jocelyn Evans. Jocelyn is beautiful and mysterious enough to leave Chris speechless. But the more Jocelyn resists him, the more the two are drawn together.

Chris soon learns that Jocelyn has secrets as deep as the town itself. Secrets more terrifying than the bullies he faces in the locker room or his mother’s unexplained nightmares. He slowly begins to understand the horrific answers. The question is whether he can save Jocelyn in time.

This first book in the Solitary Tales series will take you from the cold halls of high school to the dark rooms of an abandoned cabin—and remind you what it means to believe in what you cannot see. 

My take:  I found the book compelling yet disturbing.  I felt incomplete when I finished it.  The writing is good but more questions were posed than are answered in this book.  So I invited Travis Thrasher, the author, to guest star on my blog.

Isn't he lucky?

Q:  How was the idea for the story conceived?  Why is it set in the current setting?

TT: I wanted to do a supernatural thriller that combined my first book (THE PROMISE REMAINS) and one of my most recent (ISOLATION) into a teen series. This is the result.

Q:  What message do you hope to send to the reader, if a message is what you want to send? 

TT:  I try to stay away from saying that "the message of this book is . . . " I'm writing fiction, not trying to preach. I want readers to get hooked to an intriguing story that offers hope but also depicts evil in an authentic way.  

Q:  How do you think this story will appeal to audiences?  Teens?  Parents? 

TT:  Definitely teens though parents can read it too.  (This proves to be true.  I am the mother and I approve of this book for my teenagers). 

Q:  There seem to be some unfinished story lines in the book.  Will there be more books to address these questions?  If so, when? 

TT: There are three more books scheduled. The next, Gravestonewill be published in June of 2011. It answers some questions but raises a lot more.  

Q:  What other projects are you working on? 

TT:  Too many!! No, I'm fortunate to be writing fulltime and have a variety of projects in the works. Go to my website where I share what's happening. My blog gives tips on writing and also shares what I'm up to. I'm also on Facebook and Twitter. That will let readers know what I'm working on! 


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