by: Mike Nemeth
Genre: Romantic Mystery Suspense
Release Date: February 16, 2023
Publisher: Nemo Writes LLC
Framed by cops and chased by crooks, a white ex-con and a rebellious black woman become fugitives. They didn’t plan to fall in love. After serving time for a crime he didn’t commit, Parker and his wife, Paula, hide from an old enemy in an Atlanta suburb. Their fresh start is disrupted when his new boss demands his involvement in a fraudulent scheme that will replace thousands of white collar American workers with artificial intelligence and offshore labor. Parker unfortunately suspects his secret and elusive birth father is mixed up in the fraud. Then a body is pulled from the Chattahoochee River and Parker believes Paula has murdered his enemy, but the police think Parker did it. He and his brilliant colleague, Sabrina, a woman who can trace her roots to Virginia slaves, steal the “smoking gun” that will expose the fraud and go on the run, pursued by cops and crooks. After a violent showdown in a frightening New Orleans cemetery, they connect the dots between a murder, fraud, and a man from his mother’s past. Parker’s loyalties are torn, but he must choose.
I’m great. Thanks for having me on today.
You’re welcome. Before we get started, I have to know… How did you get the nickname “Nemo”?
Believe it or not, my family name is only six characters long but no one can pronounce it or spell it. In grammar school, the other kids couldn’t say it so I wrote on the blackboard “Knee-Myth” and that helped. But when we read 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, the other kids started calling me Nemo or Captain Nemo and it stuck through high school, college, and even my professional life. Then a fish stole it.
Lol. Now that that’s out of the way… Parker’s Choice sounds like an exciting rollercoaster of a ride read. What can you tell me about it?
It’s about how easy it is for law enforcement and the judicial system to get it wrong and about how politicians and the media tend to oversimplify racism. Parker has been to prison for a crime he didn’t commit and the separation from his wife has ruined his marriage (there’s a bit more to it). He is hired by a guy who figures he can coerce an ex-con into committing fraud. Then a body is pulled out of the river behind his house and the cops figure the ex-con did it. Parker and his colleague, a brilliant Black woman, steal the evidence of fraud and go on the run from cops and crooks looking for evidence of the murder. They connect the dots, of course, but they also fall in love.
The main characters in the story seem to be Parker, his wife Paula, and his colleague Sabrina. Can you tell me about them?
Parker is a man who lives by his own moral code and is shocked and dismayed by how the people in his life act out of self-interest. He is determined to find a person he can trust and a way to save his little piece of the world.
Paula is fighting a losing battle with alcoholism and she blames Parker for dragging her away from her mother and her support system to hide from his enemies of his past. She feels that Parker’s mission to save his piece of the world constantly puts her in jeopardy of losing her sobriety.
Sabrina doesn’t want to hide behind her race and blame racism for her condition. She wants to be successful in a white world without denying her heritage. She wants to change minds through her performance but when wronged, she is a force to be reckoned with.
When you started writing Parker’s Choice did you know how the story was going to play out, or did the characters take over?
I start with a theme, something I want to say, and then concoct a story/plot to make the point. The characters are cast for their roles just as actors are cast for movies. They must fit the story. HOWEVER, the characters always surprise me as they play their roles. They don’t change the basic plot, but they change how it comes about.
All of your books deal with morality and legality. Without giving any spoilers, what are some of the moral and legal issues brought up in the story?
I read an article by a philosopher or psychologist, I can’t remember which and I don’t recall his name, shame on me, in which he postulated that traditional morality is dead and that everyone acts out of self-interest when the stakes are high. Betrayals are everywhere in this story but one person doesn’t betray Parker – Sabrina. They fall in love and together they solve the murder.
Which character, main or secondary, challenged you the most when it came to writing them?
Sabrina, a Black woman. At one point in the story she delves into Parker’s feelings about race and he says something like, it’s stupid for white people to have opinions about other races because they can’t possibly know what it’s like to be something other than white. That’s the way I felt through much of the writing so I let Sabrina act out her feelings and show us as much as we can see what it is like.
Mike, when a reader finishes Parker’s Choice, what do you hope their first response is?
I hope they say, Oh, my gosh, that was worth reading. I hope they’re surprised by the solution to the murder and I hope they’re pleased by the ending. A writer makes those promises to readers when he or she publishes a book.
Mike, thank you for taking the time to answer some questions for me.
“You’re wrong, Paula, I’m not having an affair.”
“You’re lying, Parker, and you’ll regret it.”
“Your drinking has ruined our marriage. You have to get sober.”
“I should have divorced you while you were wearing pinstripes.”
“That would have saved us our current mess, wouldn’t it?”
“Screw you. I’ll figure out how to escape.”
Parker forced himself to calm down. “How long do you have to stay?”
“Till I’m sober, imbecile.”
Parker recoiled, then decided that maybe he deserved some abuse. “Ah, sure. I mean, how long is the program?”
“Twenty-eight freaking days. It’s already been a nightmare, filling out forms, stripping for a physical, peeing in a cup. It’s demeaning.”
“Hang in there, Paula. It will be worth it.”
She sucked in and exhaled smoke. At rehab, they let you substitute one addiction for another. “I’ve gotta go,” Paula said. “Group therapy session. Should be a barrel of laughs.”
“Wait. Have you heard from the police?”
“Nope. We can’t have cell phones in here, might arrange for someone to break us out, so Jordyn is holding it for me. We’re allowed one call today, like we’ve been arrested, then no more calls for the first two weeks.”
“The police will ask you about your gun.”
She paused to think about his warning. “Well, they’ll have to wait for visiting hours. It’s just like prison.”
“They recovered Grace Walker’s body from the river.”
A long pause, a smoker’s hacking cough. “Good,” Paula said. “She was evil.”
“Did you shoot them both?”
“You’re lying, Parker, and you’ll regret it.”
“Your drinking has ruined our marriage. You have to get sober.”
“I should have divorced you while you were wearing pinstripes.”
“That would have saved us our current mess, wouldn’t it?”
“Screw you. I’ll figure out how to escape.”
Parker forced himself to calm down. “How long do you have to stay?”
“Till I’m sober, imbecile.”
Parker recoiled, then decided that maybe he deserved some abuse. “Ah, sure. I mean, how long is the program?”
“Twenty-eight freaking days. It’s already been a nightmare, filling out forms, stripping for a physical, peeing in a cup. It’s demeaning.”
“Hang in there, Paula. It will be worth it.”
She sucked in and exhaled smoke. At rehab, they let you substitute one addiction for another. “I’ve gotta go,” Paula said. “Group therapy session. Should be a barrel of laughs.”
“Wait. Have you heard from the police?”
“Nope. We can’t have cell phones in here, might arrange for someone to break us out, so Jordyn is holding it for me. We’re allowed one call today, like we’ve been arrested, then no more calls for the first two weeks.”
“The police will ask you about your gun.”
She paused to think about his warning. “Well, they’ll have to wait for visiting hours. It’s just like prison.”
“They recovered Grace Walker’s body from the river.”
A long pause, a smoker’s hacking cough. “Good,” Paula said. “She was evil.”
“Did you shoot them both?”
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Thank you so much for featuring this author today.
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome.
DeleteThe cover looks good. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThanks fir hosting me today. Good inteerview questions.
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome. Thank you for stopping by and answering my questions.
DeleteThis looks like a brilliant novel. Thanks for hosting this giveaway.
ReplyDeleteDo you have a favorite time to write
ReplyDeleteI'm at my desk at 7:30 seven days a week.
DeleteSounds like a great book.
ReplyDeleteDid you ever write a book that made you cry?
ReplyDeleteSounds like a good book. Thanks for sharing the excerpt.
ReplyDeleteParker's Choice by Mike Nemeth is a fantastic book!
ReplyDeleteIt is filled with suspense, twists, and a compelling storyline that will keep you hooked from beginning to end.
Highly recommend!
How did you decide on the cover for this book?
ReplyDeleteThis looks like a great book. Looking forward to reading this.
ReplyDeleteHow many books have you written and which is your favorite?
ReplyDelete