Amazon.com Review
A Q&A with John Rector
Question: What initially inspired you to write The Grove?
John Rector: The idea for The Grove came from a conversation I had with another writer. He was stuck for an idea, and he asked me, jokingly, to give him one. So, off the top of my head, I told him to write about a depressed farmer who discovers the body of a teenage girl in his cornfield, but instead of telling the police, he decides to keep it secret so he can watch her decompose.
He didn’t like the idea, but something about it appealed to me, and it stuck.
At the time, I was working 30 miles outside of town, and my morning drive took me through miles of cornfields. One of them had a bend of cottonwood trees that shielded a section of the field from the road. I remember thinking it would be a great place to hide a body, and that reminded me of the idea about the farmer. From then on, I kept adding to the story, building it piece by piece in my head until I had to write it.
Question: What authors or books have influenced your writing?
John Rector: Any time I try to list influences, I always leave someone out, but here are a few of the authors who’ve influenced my writing: Ernest Hemingway, Raymond Carver, Daniel Woodrell, Sara Gran, James M Cain, Charles Bukowski, Richard Matheson, Horace McCoy, Charles Beaumont, Ray Bradbury, Ira Levin, Larry Brown, Alex Garland, and, of course,Stephen King.
Question: You’ve now published The Cold Kiss and The Grove--both novels of psychological suspense. Have you considered trying your hand at other genres?
John Rector: All of my stories have a dark edge to them, so the psychological noir/suspense genre is a good fit. That said, I do have a YA novel I’ve been working on, and also a Horror/Adventure novel outlined and ready to go. They aren’t primary projects, and right now they’re just ideas to tinker with in between books. If one of them developed into something bigger, then I might make it a primary project and publish it, but right now I have so many ideas for dark suspense novels, that I doubt I’ll get to the smaller projects for a while.
Question: How does The Grove compare to your previous books?
John Rector: The Grove was actually the first novel I wrote, so it has a special place in my heart. It was the book that taught me how to write a novel, and I learned so much while working on it. As far as the book itself, it’s a much darker novel than The Cold Kiss, or the new one I just finished. I wrote it before I had an agent, and I had no idea of what the market wanted or expected. Because of that, it doesn’t really fit into any one genre, which I think is a great thing.
Question: Have you always wanted to be an author? What other careers have you pursued?
John Rector: I’ve always been an avid reader, but I never thought about writing a novel of my own. In my mind, that was something other people did, not me. I was a musician for years, and it wasn’t until I turned 30 and started looking for a new creative outlet that I considered writing fiction.
As far as other jobs go, I’ve had an eclectic work history. I’ve done everything from bartending and waiting tables to cemetery work. I’ve worked the graveyard shift reading tarot cards on a 1-900 psychic line and done computer network support for one of the largest banks in the US. As far as jobs go, novelist is the most fun. Although, sometimes I miss bartending; you get to hear great stories.
Question: What's next for you?
John Rector: I just finished my third novel. It’s called Already Gone, and it’s a fast-paced, suspense/thriller about a university professor who, after being brutally robbed and beaten one night outside a bar, takes it on himself to track down his attackers. To do so, he enlists the help of some shady characters from his past. This starts a chain reaction in his life, uncovering buried family secrets, and bringing him face to face with the truth about himself and the people he loves.
Review
"Tough, dark, and beautifully told. Great storytelling." - David Peoples, screenwriter of Unforgiven, Twelve Monkeys, and Blade Runner
"Spare and evocative as a cornfield in autumn, The Grove marks the arrival of a haunting, powerful new voice in contemporary fiction. John Rector writes with deceptive grace, spinning out irresistible prose with a dark pulse between every line. This is psychological suspense at its most seductive. I loved it." - Sean Doolittle, award-winning author of Dirt, Burn, Rain Dogs, The Cleanup, and Safer
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