Genre-Crossing Author Writes for All Ages

SEATTLE - Feb. 25, 2015 - PRLog -- Author Royce Buckingham is on a roll. After winning Washington’s 2014 Sasquatch Children’s Book Award for his novel, The Dead Boys, and becoming a two-time best seller in Germany with his medieval fantasy series Mapper, the Washington native is branching out into new genres. It started with last year’s release of his first YA title, The Terminals. In March, he enters the world of adventure thrillers with Impasse, the story about Stu, a washed up attorney who’s sent into the Alaskan wilderness for a week by his ambitious law partner to learn to ‘man up.’

“Being a storyteller is fun – it’s who I am,” says Buckingham. “My brain is wired for it. I wake up and automatically start working through ideas. I have a lot of stories to tell and don’t discriminate. If I think up a cool monster story for kids, I put it on my list. If an idea for a sci-fi story about clones pops up while I’m eating breakfast, my kids and I start talking about it, developing the idea, and evaluating whether it has a good enough hook to move forward.”

Despite the range of ideas, readers will find similarities across his work: A movie-lover, Buckingham writes cinematically by showing with action, not telling. He explores social issues but does it so subtly that readers are entertained without noticing the social commentary. Growing up, he was influenced by Conan the Barbarian, Steven King’s collection, and softer classics like Where the Red Fern Grows and The Phantom Tollbooth – all boy books before there were ‘boy books.’ As a result, and because he’s a guy, the majority of his protagonists are male, and his children’s books have been cited as great reads for boys. It’s no surprise his foray into YA is not much different.

“The Terminals is a spy thriller for young adults with a twist,” says Buckingham. “I started developing the story several years ago when I wondered ‘what if a group of teens with only a year to live could spend their remaining time going on dangerous spy missions?’ ” The result is an action-packed, entertaining read that is still fun but more grown-up than Buckingham’s middle grade monster stories.

And talk about growing up, Buckingham’s next book Impasse is a full-fledged adult adventure thriller, a project which even he is a little surprised that he wrote. “My experience as an attorney prepared me to be a technician when it comes to writing,” said Buckingham. “But honestly, I never thought I’d come home from work and write about work. This is a first.” The author spent 13 years prosecuting robberies, murders and other serious crimes, and he has practiced law for more than 20.

Buckingham says he has many stories to tell and feels fortunate to have the opportunity to try new genres. “Not all writers can sweet talk the big publishers into letting them write in four different genres; I’m really lucky.” Or just good, as his German fans would attest. Two of his books, (Demonkeeper) and (The Map of the World) have hit the bestseller list in Germany—insert David Hasselhoff jokes here. American fans of Buckingham’s earlier award-winning children’s work, however, can rest assured—he has several outlines prepped for more middle grade novels.

ABOUT IMPASSE

Stu Stark has lost his mojo. He had a prestigious job as a prosecuting attorney, a classy, ambitious wife, and an inside track to the top spot in the DA’s office. But that was before he was fired for losing the biggest case of his career, a mob-related homicide.

Now he’s turning forty, struggling at a tiny law firm, and has nearly given up. So when Stu’s more motivated law partner gifts him a one-week trip to the Alaskan wilderness to rediscover his manhood, Stu admits it just might do him some good.

Unfortunately, Stu is no outdoorsman. By week’s end, he’s sick, starving, and on the brink of death. Worse, he realizes that the float plane that dropped him off is not coming back. His only hope is a passing grizzled trapper who informs Stu that winter is coming, and he’s not leaving the Alaska interior anytime soon.

So begins Stu’s journey to become the man he never was…and to discover who’s been sabotaging his life in this gritty tale of self examination and revenge.

ABOUT THE TERMINALS

When 19 year old Cam Cody is diagnosed with a terminal illness, he expects to spend the rest of his life in a hospital bed. Then one night, a mysterious man offers Cam the chance to join a covert unit of young “terminals” who spend the last year of their lives executing dangerous missions to make the world a better place. With nothing to lose, Cam is in.

Cam and his extreme spy team begin pulling off clandestine operations. But as his teammates fall around him, he starts to receive cryptic messages from a haggard survivor of last year’s class hiding in the forest, who reveals that the program isn’t what it claims to be…

Buckingham is an American fantasy writer and screenwriter with an English degree from Whitman College and a Law degree from the University of Oregon. He has published nine books in as many countries. He is represented by Baror International and currently lives with his family in Bellingham, WA.