Richard must make the transformation to street-smart warrior to survive when he jumps the Food Train to the disintegrating suburbs in a desperate search for Danny and his dog, Zonk.
Branded a criminal by a community of outcasts, imprisoned, and condemned to death, Richard is rescued by streetwise Carrie, who joins in his search.
They trek across the remnants of the sprawling suburbs, facing criminal gangs, renegade militias, and the hardships of the road. Gradually their friendship evolves into something more. The trail finally unwinds at a deserted complex in the remotest corner of the suburbs. What they discover there will alter their lives and their world forever.
Tell us your main inspiration behind writing Eldorado.
I think there were 2 catalysts for me writing ELDORADO:
The first was that I happened to read an article in a local paper suggesting that the planet might be running out of oil. For some reason the idea that oil is a finite commodity had never occurred to me, so the article really hit home. I did some research and learned that the world uses almost 100 million barrels of this precious, non-renewable resource per day. So when the papers joyfully proclaim the discovery of a new billion barrel deposit, well – that deposit will last about 10 or 12 days. Renewables will offset some of the loss once the oil is gone, but there’s no way we’ll be able to continue at our current standard of living.
The second catalyst was that I wanted to write a good, fast-paced adventure story with strong characters and lots of action, the kind that I love to read. They say that you should write stories that you yourself would enjoy reading, so that’s what I tried to do. And I believe I’ve succeeded with ELDORADO.
Was self-publishing your first choice? What was the most nerve wracking part of the process?
I would have preferred for the book to be picked up by a traditional publisher, but had trouble snaring one. I admit I could have tried harder, but I’d heard such horror stories about the publishing industry, and heard that even if I published traditionally I’d have to do a lot of the marketing myself. My ornery side said to potential publishers: ‘Well, if I have to do the marketing, what do I need you for?’ I also had the feeling that self-publishing was an idea whose time had come, and I like the freedom of having control over what happens with my books.
I found the actual publishing process pretty straightforward. I suppose it helped that I have a background in computers. The hard part is, once you’ve published your book, then what? It occurs to you (after some time if you’re a slow study like me) that, with millions of other books out there, you have to somehow get noticed. You could have written the next War and Peace and still not sell anything unless you take some kind of action. And of course one of the most difficult parts was producing a book I thought was worthy of being bought and read in the first place.
As a self-published author, did you choose to edit your novel yourself? What was the biggest change you made to the story and/or characters?
I hired an editor. At the time I thought the manuscript was complete (I was wrong). I highly recommend using an editor if you possibly can. Not only are they another expert set of eyes to point out problems and suggest improvements to your book, but if they’re any good you’ll learn a lot as well. The only down side is that they typically cost a lot of money.
The original manuscript was 120,000 words, and the version currently for sale is barely 82,000, so you can imagine how much it’s changed. Most of the changes were simply the cutting of unnecessary scenes. The biggest change is probably that originally I’d written Richard to be Danny’s father. For various reasons I decided he worked much better as an older brother.
Do you have any unusual writing habits that aide your process and/or character development?
I think I’m pretty typical. I procrastinate a lot, so that’s a problem. For some reason I find that if I go somewhere, like a coffee shop or some other public place, to write, I’m more productive. I guess because I’ve gone to the trouble to go there I feel obligated to produce something.
I always outline my novels, though only roughly. I went to a writing course a few years ago and found that many of the people there didn’t – including the instructor! I was quite shocked. I can’t imagine writing something as complicated as a novel by the ‘seat of your pants’.
Is there one passage or scene from your novel that you are most fond of? If so, include the excerpt below!
There are lots of scenes I like, but many of them could be spoilers, so I’ll stick with one near the beginning. The world of ELDORADO is partly modeled after the Great Depression, and includes the iconic act of jumping a freight train.
In the excerpt below, aided by his streetwise uncle, Jim Keller, who used to ‘ride the rails’, the protagonist, Richard, ‘jumps’ the Food Train, a continuously running train that hauls produce from outlying farms to the city. Jumping the train is the only way he can get to the largely deserted suburbs to search of his brother Danny.
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~ EXCERPT ~
The huge, slab-like engine finally loomed into view, clawing its way uphill against the steel rails below, straining under the weight of the hundred or so cars it towed behind. The train pushed a column of air ahead of it stinking of diesel, dust, and rotting vegetables. The roar was deafening as the engine passed them by, and the earth shook under their feet.
One or two cars behind the engine, a grim-faced guard, holding an automatic rifle at the ready against his chest, stood in a caged metal pedestal welded to the frame. The guard scanned the area intently, but didn’t see them. The gun-metal gray engine, then the guard, shrank into the distance, curving around and behind one of the surrounding hills.
When Keller had first begun talking about the jump, Richard had felt confident. But with each new instruction and warning his confidence had ratcheted down a notch.
Now, with the monstrous steel behemoth thundering along the track in front of them, a wave of panic washed over him. He wasn't prepared for the size, the noise, the bone shaking vibration, the grinding of the massive steel wheels on the tracks. He fought to keep his attention on Keller and forget the train. Finally, at a moment that only he somehow knew, Keller threw his arm forward and pointed to a boxcar, motioning for Richard to start his run.
Richard straightened up and started running. He pushed with every iota of his strength, producing little explosions of rising dust with each footfall. He gasped frantically for air. His heart pounded until he thought it would burst. After what seemed an eternity he was a couple of yards from the precious ladder.
He was so fixated on the ladder that just as he seemed close enough to touch it, his foot caught a clump of grass and he stumbled forward. He staggered, half-falling, half-running, plunging headfirst toward the razor-sharp rims of the closest wheels.
Suddenly he felt his body lift up as he was grabbed by the collar from behind and held steady for a fraction of a second, just long enough to regain his balance. He glanced behind him.
“Do it!” Keller yelled.
Richard was now less than a yard from the ladder. After one last stride he sprang with both feet. He caught hold and his chest slammed against the metal rungs. He battled for a foothold and lost, his feet dragging in the dust, inches from the spinning blade-like wheels. With a frantic kick at the ground he finally caught a rung, hauled himself up, and began to climb.
“The FOURTH rung!” He shouted over the deafening roar of the train. He made it to the next rung. “The FOURTH rung!” He repeated, climbing arm over arm, one rung at a time, to the final position.
He saw Keller grab the ladder as soon as he was out of the way. Keller, though he was an old man, seemed to possess almost super-human abilities. He propelled himself effortlessly up the ladder with one hand, leaned out toward the sliding door of the rail-car, again on one arm, and pulled out his 'persuader'.
Hanging by his right arm, Keller jammed the persuader into the lock on the door, and with a mighty sweep of his left arm swiftly and silently broke the lock and slid the door open. With a practiced movement he swung himself into the opening.
Richard glanced down the track and saw a man stagger toward the ladder two cars away. The man looked middle aged. His clothes were worn and his face unshaven. He had waited too long – or run too slowly. He struggled to overtake the accelerating train. His stumbling gait revealed his exhaustion.
He jumped for the ladder much as Richard had done and caught hold, though his grip looked shaky. He began to climb, apparently headed for the roof.
At first it looked like he was going to make it; he reached the roof and grabbed for the thin gutter around the edge. He strained to haul his body up and over.
Richard couldn't tell exactly what went wrong, but he suspected that the man's strength simply gave out. He lost his hold on the gutter and plummeted toward the ground. His left foot somehow caught in the bottom rung of the ladder and his body swung under the wheels of the train. The poor soul was cut almost exactly in half, his legs crumpling on the ground beside the tracks, the rest disappearing under the grinding wheels.
What was left of the mutilated corpse shrank into the distance. Richard felt faint and his knuckles whitened on the rung of the ladder. He desperately fought the urge to vomit. Shouts from below distracted him from the horror. Keller was gesturing nervously for Richard to climb down and join him.
“Hurry!” Keller mouthed the words.
Again Richard was terrified. The train had accelerated since they first climbed on. He peered down at the rail ties swiftly flying away below, knowing that a fall from the ladder now would mean almost certain death, the image of the mutilated jumper seared into his brain.
Somehow he found the strength to climb back down, and prepared to copy Keller's swinging motion into the open door. Somewhere in mid-swing, his right arm seemed to give way. He plunged toward the steel rails below. Again a miraculous force caught him by the collar and he felt himself hauled into the opening. The door slid shut and he immediately collapsed on the floor, gasping for breath.
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I want to thank Jay Storey for being with us today and giving us the inside scoop on his novel! I really enjoyed the excerpt as well and can't wait to read Eldorado for myself! Look for my review, coming soon!
Eldorado is available in paperback and digital format on AMAZON
