I'm A Voracious Reader : Guest ~ Author Chris Nunley

Today I would like to welcome my guest, Chris Nunley, author of Nowhere, AZ. He is sharing an excerpt of the book with us.

Thank you, Carol for letting me post a short excerpt from my novel Nowhere, AZ on your blog today. The following is the opening chapter of the book, which sets up the mystery of the story.

~Chris Nunley

The train-whistle blows.

I lock eyes with a man in his fifties named Tom. He’s wearing a stained white apron and a very disappointed look on his face. It’s probably because behind him, the town’s on fire.

It’s a small town where the air’s hot and dry. There are only a handful of buildings less than fifty yards from the tracks leading to the ocean hundreds of miles away.

The Pacific Ocean.

West. My destination.

I’ve only been here a few years, but it seems like lifetimes.

Becky, Ingrid, Charlie, Tom. They all accepted me. They treated me well. No problems at all.

When the fire reaches the Gault Building, there’s gonna be a pretty big explosion because that’s where all the ammunition in the town is kept. But I’m not worried, because by then, I’ll be on my way to the next wherever.

The next nowhere.

Becky let me stay in her guesthouse. Ingrid was her daughter. A blonde-haired-angel. She was the only one that made my name sound good.

They’re probably dead already.

They stopped treating me well.

Things were said.

Things were done.

Looking directly at me, Tom asks, “Why did you come here? Did you mean to do all this on purpose?”

I shake my head and tell him, “No, I didn’t want this to happen.” I say, “I’m sorry,” then turn and dart in the opposite direction.

I’ve got to catch that train.

I hear Tom cock his shotgun, then the corner of the crate cracks into splinters next to my head. I keep going.

Faster.

It’s time to get the hell out of here.

I’ve been in one place too long. I need to move on.

I’m always going somewhere.

Never ending up anywhere.

Charlie was Becky’s husband and he worked in the mines. He’s the one who introduced me to Tom. Covered in soot, tired and hot, Charlie told Tom I was just passing through and looking for work. That I’d do anything just to make a few. Tom looked me up and down and asked my name. I told him and he repeated it, then said, “I think I could use a new dishwasher.” I told him that’d be great. And I meant it.

My temples pulsing, I’m sprinting as fast as I can. I’m not looking back, no longer worried about Tom because he won’t be around much longer, which is too bad. I really like him.

But I’m focused on catching that train.

I take my bag off my shoulder and toss it into an open car. Running alongside it, I grab onto an iron beam and jump.

It wasn’t until Tom threw a bottle of whiskey at me and accused me of driving his customers away, that the lantern fell off the hook.

And the town started to burn.

Because of me.

The train’s picking up a lot of speed now. I collect my breath, then roll to my feet and poke at the splinters in my elbows and knees.

A little pain never hurt anyone.

Looking into the past, I see Tom reach into his pocket and pull out more shells. He reloads and aims to fire.

I’m too far away.

On my way to the next nowhere.

The Gault Building explodes. Tom’s launched through the air, debris flying all around him. He slams against a pipe, still holding the shotgun. When his back snaps, he hits the ground and the gun goes off.

So does his head.

I wish I’d never met him.

Sucking wind, I turn on my heels and lumber to the end of the car. I sit against the wall, remove my hat and dust it off. I stretch my legs out, cross them at the ankles, then lean back and shield my face from the sun sneaking in through the slats of the car.

I didn't do any of this on purpose, but those who remember will say it’s all my fault.

And in a way they’d be right.

About Nowhere, AZ

Publisher: CreateSpace, Sept. 30, 2012
ISBN: 978-1478352969
Category: Thriller/Suspense/Mystery
Tour Dates: January, 2014
Available in: Print & ebook, 149 pages

“Always going somewhere. Never getting anywhere.”

Negative energy haunts the nameless Narrator, who’s been on the run for twelve years. A convicted killer on the loose, he has no one left to rely on and no place to call home, so he heads west.

“Those who will remember will say it’s all my fault.”

He has no control of what he’s capable of and does his best to avoid any type of confrontation at all costs.

Words are said, things are done. Friends turn into enemies.

“They call me a monster.”

Just as he’s about to reach his destination, his past starts catching up quickly.

Praise for Nowhere, AZ

“Excellent Read! Just when I thought I figured out what was going to happen, it changed on me. I like when that happens. The author was one step ahead of me!”-Dennis, Amazon Reviewer

” I enjoyed Nowhere Arizona very much. It’s a unique concept that has a trace of Torchwood in it. It’s dark and it’s fun and makes you think about how you treat yourself and those around you. It’s a pretty quick read and would be good for travel. To say it’s a new spin on tit for tat would be an understatement. What would you do if the safety of all those around you depended on them treating you benevolently? And at the same time you discover that your whole life is essentially one big lie? When the bodies start to pile up, we start to get some answers to those questions.”-Angela, Amazon Reviewer

“Not all books have the ability to engage the reader in a way that makes you constantly try to guess what is really happening. That finds you constantly guessing what is really going on while your turning the pages. The author tells a story that takes place both in the present and in the past. Both story’s are converging towards the truth of how the main character has become the person that he himself fears and the truth of who he really is. I found it very difficult to put this down because I was always left thinking about what I had just read. My curiosity was so piqued by this story that I had to have the answers, I had to know what was really going on. This is a story that left me wanting to know what the main character’s future would be and ready to read about his next adventure if the author produces a sequel.”-Paul R. Ryan, Amazon Reviewer

“Nowhere, AZ is quite the read! The author begins by entangling the reader into an unusual set of events which undoubtedly spike an enormous amount of curiosity! One must read on to settle this feeling, but surprisingly, and wonderfully, it doesn’t end until the book does. As each new clue emerges, the reader becomes a detective as to the past and present of the main character…the twists, turns, and excitement never seem to end! It would be beneficial to start this book when one has a bit of free time because there is NO putting it down! Definitely a MUST READ!”-Meg, Amazon Reviewer

About Chris Nunley

Chris Nunley has been writing ever since he could pen to paper.

In tenth grade, he wrote a spec episode of "Seinfeld" for his creative writing class, and realized that writing wasn't an assignment, it was a passion. He went on to write several other screenplays, including an adaptation of Albert Camus' "The Stranger."

Chris graduated with a degree in Screenwriting from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, then went on to work for television show "MADtv" as a Writers' Assistant as well as selling material as a Contributing Writer.

His first novel "Nowhere, AZ" - a story about karma and its implications, as well as his second novel "The Pouch - A Story About Sacking Up" are both available for purchase as paperbacks or for a Kindle device at AMazon.com.

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