Virtual Book Tour + #Giveaway: Parker's Choice by Mike Nemeth @nemosnovels @GoddessFish

Parker's Choice

by Mike Nemeth

GENRE: Romantic Mystery

BLURB:

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.

Purchase PARKER’S CHOICE on Amazon

Excerpt:

“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?”

Interview with Mike Nemeth

How many books have you written and which is your favorite?

I’ve written four novels and while my readers have various favorites, my favorite is Parker’s Choice. I like mysteries with twists and reversals and surprises and that’s what Parker’s Choice delivers. I’m also proud that two storylines come together like pieces of a puzzle and result in an upbeat ending.




If you’re planning a sequel, can you share a tiny bit about your plans for it?

If readers like Parker and Sabrina and want to know how their lives play out I’d be happy to write a sequel. I like these characters.




Do you want each book to stand on its own, or are you trying to build a body of work with connections between each book?

I grew up reading John D. MacDonald and following Travis McGee’s exploits in dozens of stories but that hasn’t been my approach. Theme, what I’m trying to say, has always been preeminent so I fit the characters to the story and don’t try to make characters do or say things that aren’t natural for them. So, my first two novels, Defiled and The Undiscovered Country, feature the same cast and their story is complete after two books. I’ve just finished writing a prequel to The Two Lives of Eddie Kovacs called A Tissue of Lies. After two books, Eddie’s story will be complete.




How did you come up with the title for your book?

This title was easy because Parker is faced with choice after choice as he tries to outwit cops and crooks and decide how he’ll live the rest of his life. It’s a cliché, but life is all about choices.




How long did it take you to write this book?

The first draft of Parker’s Choice took four months to write but I spent another four months refining it and fitting all the plot pieces together smoothly.




What does the title mean?

In the end, Parker must choose between a safe, conventional life and a riskier life fighting institutional injustice.




What did you learn when writing the book?

As my characters dealt with subtle racism I learned that racism is oversimplified by politicians and the media. There’s no easy fix.




What surprised you the most?

How easy it is for law enforcement (and the judicial system) to get it wrong.




Have you ever killed off a character your readers loved?

Yes, you have to kill your lovelies. Happens at least once in each book and adds to the realism of life.




What do you do to get inside your character’s heads?

The key for me is motivation, self-interest. What does each character want? Why do they want it? Do they have a good or logical reason for wanting it? Are their actions and words consistent with their needs and desires? Then I play each part, reading their scripts as though auditioning for their part in a movie. It must be authentic.

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Mike Nemeth, a Vietnam veteran and former high-tech executive, writes love stories tucked inside murder mysteries highlighting America’s social issues. THE UNDISCOVERED COUNTRY won the Beverly Hills Book Award for Southern Fiction and the Frank Yerby Prize at the Augusta Literary Festival. The novel inspired singer/songwriter Mark Currey to compose the song Who I am. PARKER’S CHOICE won a Firebird Award for thrillers and American Fiction Awards for Diverse and Multicultural Mystery/Suspense, and for Romantic Mystery/Suspense. Other credits include The New York Times, Georgia Magazine, Augusta Magazine, Southern Writers’ Magazine, and Deep South Magazine. In 2018, I was named Atlanta’s Best Local Author by Creative Loafing magazine. Mike lives in Villa Rica with his wife, Angie, and their rescue dog, Scout.

Connect with Mike Nemeth

Website ~ Facebook ~ X (Twitter) ~ Instagram

 

Giveaway:

$25 Amazon/BN GC 

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