Synopsis:
When Ed
and Stacey go to Las Vegas to visit their friend Pepper, they realize his
dementia has gotten worse. They decide to take him with them on their road trip
to see old friends near Mt Konocti in northern California. At the reunion, he
meets Sandy Martin, and they begin a new love relationship. He calls in to a
local radio talk show and the audience likes him so much that he becomes a
regular part of the show. But when a local psychopath hears Pepper on the show
and decides he wants Pepper to be his friend, things take a very dark turn…
Excerpt:
Konocti
In the end, twelve of them decided
to make the trip. Several others begged off, leery of the trails and opting to
take the day at the farm. They took three vehicles. A car and two SUV’s, packed
with lots of food, drinks and gear in addition to the people. It took them
about twenty minutes to get to the bottom of the mountain. The road goes
through the village of Kelseyville, down some residential blocks, then the road
slopes up through a series of farm fields and orchards, followed by open rocky
hillsides. As they rose up on the hill, the tableau took shape - Clear Lake at
the foot of the mountain with towns and suburban blocks in the distance. Going
higher, the view got bigger, and the lake got both deeper in color, and silvery
where the sun reflected off it. They all stopped talking and watched the view
changing and developing with some awe as they drove. As they got higher, they
disappeared into a cloud bank, then the road popped out of the cloud, and they
were in a thick stand of Maul Oaks in a notch between two peaks rising on
either side of them. The oaks were tall, 40 to 60 feet, with big heavy curving
branches that looked like trees out of an old Disney cartoon. They drove a bit
further through the woods until they reached a clearing with parking spaces
near a trailhead. They got out, still surrounded by trees.
“That didn’t take long,” Stacey
said, stretching her legs.
Richie was organizing their stuff.
He had divided them up into small packs so people could carry them easily on
their backs. By giving them to a few people, he figured nobody would have too
much weight to carry.
“They call it Mt. Konocti, but it’s
really not much of a mountain,” he said. “Just about 2,200 feet above the
lake.”
“Looked a lot higher coming up,”
Hubert said. “Beautiful views on the way up. Can’t wait to see them from here.”
“Yeah, it gets better from here on.”
Richie said. He turned to speak to the group. “Everybody ready? Everything
good? Anyone need to pee or anything before we get started?” Nobody said
anything. “Anybody wanting to take a nap yet?” He laughed, as did a few in the
group.
“A nap?” Pepper asked Ed.
“It’s a joke, Pepper.”
“Ah.”
Pepper was standing with Ed, Stacey,
Sandy, and Franny. They had decided to stay together as a group on the hike.
They looked like an aging tribe in plaids and jeans, shaggy hair and caps in
the cool morning. Bits of fog lingered and drifted through the trees around
them, cooling the air and filtering the sun.
“OK, well then let’s get started,”
Richie said to them all, turning to walk. “The trail-head is over here.” And
they were off. They hit the trailhead and followed the path into the trees.
After a few minutes, Richie started talking to them about where they were.
“This is what they call the Black
Forest because it’s a very dense wood of Douglas Fir and Maul Oaks. It’s a bit
of a mystery, since it’s located on the north face of the mountain where it
never gets direct sunlight. Nobody really understands how it got started here
or why it grows just here.”
“Kind of spooky in here actually,”
Sandy said to Pepper, sliding her arm around his. Pepper thought that was nice,
but he wondered if she was thinking he needed propping up. He decided not to
worry about it.
“Yes,” he agreed with her. “Keep
your eyes open for witches.”
Richie kept going. “Truth is Mount
Kon is really pretty exceptional. It’s not so big, as I said before, but it is
a special place - both the mountain and the lake. It’s an old volcano. Part of
what they call the Clear Lake Volcanic Field. It has been quite active in its
history. They say it last erupted around 10,000 years ago, which is pretty
recently.”
He stopped to help Cyn and Hubert
over some rocks.
“I guess it was a fairly active
volcano over the millennia, and through that time it created lots of caves and
natural tunnels - old volcanic vents - into the interior of the mountain.
Indians used to live here - lots of them. This was a large settlement of native
Americans all around the lake. Mostly the Pomo tribe. They say thousands lived
in the area in the 1800’s before white men came and started killing them off.”
“God Bless America,” Eddie said.
“But the Pomo explored the area more
than anyone since. Their stories about the mountain told about a huge open
cavern in the center of the mountain. Probably this would have been the central
magma chamber from when the mountain was an active volcano. They said their men
used to crawl through the tunnels until they came to the edge of the openings,
then they would drop things into the cavern to see how far they fell. Often,
they never heard them land. Geologists mostly tend to believe these stories.
They say this could be the tallest cavern in North America. But the soil is
very unstable and many of the vent tunnels have collapsed. So, it is dangerous
to explore - nobody has ever been able to find the central cavern, if it still
exists. But one thing they do know about Konocti - the mountain breathes. All
the vents around the sides, and the open cavern in the center creates wind
drafts and thermal currents. The changing pressures and different temperatures
create its own air system. They say when the weather is changing on the outside
and it gets windy, that’s when you can hear it the most, kind of whistling or
wheezing. Feel it too, since the air on the inside is a constant temperature it
feels either warmer or cooler than the air outside. So you get little blasts of
the mountain’s breath walking around.”
He stopped and walked with them for
a bit. Walking and talking got him out of breath.
“Lots of people have reported
strange breezes blowing right out of holes in the side of the mountain.
Sometimes they smell like old decaying soil, sometimes people say they blow
warm wet air. It breathes. In storms, especially. And lots of people report finding
openings into the side. Sometimes big enough to call caves. Other times just
holes. This mountain -- it seems to have its own life, kind of. It’s
unpredictable and kind of spiritual. One of the reasons I wanted to bring you
all up here, just to see it and feel it. The Pomo felt it. This was a sacred
place to them. They gave it the name Konocti which combined their two words for
“mountain” and “woman.”
“Wow,” Sandy said. “You know, Richie
- as long as I’ve lived in San Francisco, I never heard any of that before, and
we’re so close. I’ve heard of Clear Lake, but never heard much about it. Never
seemed to be anything that special.”
Author
Bio:
Author
Marketing Experts:
Twitter: @Bookgal
Instagram: @therealbookgal
Amazon: https://amzn.to/46j3vXY
Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/199406022-keeping-pepper
Author Interview:
On writing:
How did you do research for your book?
Online
research mostly, and personal experience
Which was the hardest character to write? The
easiest?
I wanted
to give the reader a first person view of two difficult personalities – Pepper
with his dementia and Dennis, the psychopath. Both were difficult.
In your book you make a reference to dementia.
How did you come up with this idea? What made you write a book about it?
Family
experience dealing with it.
Where do you get inspiration for your stories?
I had two
step-fathers with dementia. I wanted to explore how the “Boomer” generation
will deal with aging.
There are many books out there about dementia.
What makes yours different?
Not
familiar with any.
Your book is set in Clear Lake, California. Have
you ever been there?
Once
If you could put yourself as a character in your
book, who would you be?
Ed
Do you have another profession besides writing?
Yes, my
day job! Ad sales
How long have you been writing?
25 years
What helps you overcome writer’s block?
Keep
thinking and writing.
What is your next project?
Undecided
What genre do you write and why?
I have a
problem with this; I don’t want to write according to someone’s definition of
genre. I don’t pay much attention.
What is the last great book you’ve read?
The Orphan Master’s Son by Adam
Johnson
What is a favorite compliment you have received
on your writing?
“Loved
this book!”
If your book were made into a movie, who would
star in the leading roles?
Haha!
Maybe Benedict Cumberbatch as Pepper.
What were the biggest rewards and challenges
with writing your book?
I guess
the answer to both would be getting it finished!
In one sentence, what was the road to publishing
like?
For me,
agonizing.
What is one piece of advice you would give to an
aspiring author?
I took
classes at the UCLA Writers Extension – tremendously helpful.
Which authors inspired you to write?
All of
them
What is something you had to cut from your book
that you wish you could have kept?
I made the
final decision on what was to stay or go, so nobody forced me to cut anything,
but usually I understood their criticism and cut what they suggested.
On rituals:
Do you snack while writing?
No
Where do you write?
Home
office
Do you write every day?
No, but
most days
What is your writing schedule?
I work my
day job during business hours, then break for dinner, then write in the
evening.
Is there a specific ritualistic thing you do
during your writing time?
No
In today’s tech savvy world, most writers use a
computer or laptop. Have you ever written parts of your book on paper?
No –
that’s a scary thought!
Fun stuff:
If you could go back in time, where would you
go?
Not far
back. Maybe the 1960’s
Favorite travel spot?
London
Favorite dessert?
Icebox
cake
If you were stuck on a deserted island, which 3
books would you want with you?
Can’t say.
Three I haven’t read yet!
What’s the most courageous thing you’ve ever
done?
Had three
kids.
What is the oldest item of clothing you own?
A small
plaid wool blanket I had as a little kid.
Praise:
“This book was both suspenseful and beautiful
at the same time. All in all, an excellent read.”
“The author uses richly crafted characters to
bring the story to life, weaving past memories into the present. Keeping Pepper highlights the importance
of living each day to the fullest, even if it means taking risks.”
“Thoroughly enjoyed the twists and turns as
the story evolved. Certainly didn't see some of them coming. The poignancy of
old friends, new paths and one more good time was woven into a very engaging
story.”
– Deb
Zak (Amazon Reviewer)
“This was such a fresh and engaging story
about the power of taking risks no matter your age or stage of life. It centers
on a group of longtime friends of former ad executive Michael Pepper. Pepper's
story is romantic and, at times, quite suspenseful. I found his energy and
spirit of adventure inspiring, and it made for a very enjoyable book.”
– KKW
(Amazon Reviewer)
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