Author: Michael Fields
Title: Twin River
Publisher: iUniverse
ISBN: 978-1-4759-8844-4
Pages: 276, Paperback/Kindle
Genre: Fiction
Author Interview with Michael Fields
Interviewed by: Brandon Nolta, Pacific Book Review
PBR: The Vietnam War takes up a good deal of thematic space in the narrative; was that something that was part of the book from the beginning, or did it arise during the writing of the story?
1. The Vietnam War altered Gene’s life. It was important to know what he had experienced. It was important to recognize how it nearly destroyed him and his family.
PBR: Along those lines, did you have a set concept in mind when you started writing this book, or did the theme evolve over time?
2. I wanted interesting characters that the reader would like, that the reader could relate to. I wanted these characters to face serious, life-threatening problems. I wanted the problems to be solved by inner strength and faith in family and friends.
PBR: What do you see as the major influences on your work, from a writing perspective? Intellectual perspective?
3. I do a lot of reading. I taught literature for thirty years. Also, I met John Steinbeck in Southeast Asia when he was covering the Vietnam War for the Philadelphia Inquirer. We talked about the war; he encouraged me to write about my experiences. He wrote about our exchange in his article (April 1967). I still have it.
PBR: Do you intend to write further books about Conner, Matt or any of the other characters? If so, how do you see the series developing?
4. Twin River focused on Gene Brooks, his reasons for becoming a vigilante, and his decision to return to the family. Gene’s retirement left Nathaniel, Luther and Max, and Cain and Abel free to continue their transgressions. The Cicconi children are mistreated; Lisa and Ira are in danger; the pregnant Becky and her brother Wayne will become targets of a more villainous Cain and Abel.
PBR: If so, how do you see the series developing?
A new vigilante is needed. It could be Matt, who has the desire. It could be Pastor Andrew Brooks, who was close to shooting Luther. It could be Ira, who needs to protect Lisa. It could be a new character, an assassin from the streets of Philadelphia. Whoever it is, there will be no cessation to the killing; bodies will continue to disappear in the Shadows of Death. Through it all, the identity of the vigilante will remain unknown.
PBR: Are you working on anything now that you can comment on?
5. I am hard at work on the Twin River Sequel. As explained in the previous question, there are many subplots that need to be resolved.
PBR: What haven’t you been asked that you wish had been?
6. I would like to have been asked about the catharsis of Gene Brooks from a cold-blooded killer to a caring family man. Also, I would like to have been asked about the treatment of the Vietnam veterans – the recognition of their tragic plight as seen in Gene, Sergeant Rawlings, and Lieutenant Chase Butler.
