New Exciting History book by Michael Fields titled, Twin River

SPARKS, Nev. - June 27, 2013 - PRLog -- History shows that violence has a way of echoing throughout the ages, shaping the behavior and culture of those who survive and those who live in the area long after. In many ways, these effects can be subtle and minor, but for the characters in Fields’ novel Twin River discover, the shadows within themselves can interact with the past in unexpected ways.

Award winning author Michael Fields created a powerful reading experience in his first of a series with indelible characters challenged with life threatening situations.  “I wanted interesting characters that the reader would like, that the reader could relate to,” said Fields during a recent interview with Pacific Book Review.  “I wanted these characters to face serious, life-threatening problems.  I wanted the problems to be solved by inner strength and faith in family and friends.”

Michael Fields has the skill sets needed to bring pages to life.  “I do a lot of reading.  I taught literature for thirty years,” commented Fields.  “Also, I met John Steinbeck in Southeast Asia when he was covering the Vietnam War for the Philadelphia Inquirer.  We talked about the war; he encouraged me to write about my experiences.  He wrote about our exchange in his article (April 1967).  I still have it.”

Twin River opens in the late 18th century and the mid-1970s, the main plot of Fields’ narrative picks up in 1980 with Conner Brooks and Matt Henry, two friends with troubled family lives. Conner lives with his dad, a Vietnam vet with a long history of killing, while Matt is subject to multiple forms of abuse by his father.  Overshadowed by Blood Mountain, the site of a massacre depicted in the first chapter, Conner and Matt try to navigate high school while beset with troubles above and beyond the normal teenage troubles: a pair of kidnappings, homicidal twin brothers preparing dark sacrifices in the hills, and corruption in the local police and sheriff’s departments. However, the darkest secret is one the boys aren’t even aware of at first: Conner’s father, Gene, didn’t leave his killing ways behind in Vietnam.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:  Michael Fields taught high school English for over thirty years. He holds a BS in education from Edinboro University in Pennsylvania and an MA in English from the University of Dayton. His first novel, The Chicken Thief Soldier: A Death in Valley Forge, is a must read for any visitor to the park. The book received finalist recognition in the Eric Hoffer Award for Excellence in Independent Publishing. Now retired from teaching, Fields spends his time fishing and traveling.

Title: Twin River    

Author:  Michael Fields

Publisher:  iUniverse

ISBN:  978-1-4759-8844-4

Pages: 276, Paperback/Kindle

Genre: Fiction