I’m really excited to be sharing additional information on a book I read and enjoyed. You can read my review here. Keeping Pepper is a great book to read anywhere and anytime. It gives you a warm feeling but it also gives you a bit of excitement. I would not recommend it if I didn’t enjoy it as much as I did.
Synopsis:
Beneath the weight of four long years in confinement, a story of liberation unfolds, igniting a whirlwind of love, fear, and even hope.
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…
Praise:
“This book was both suspenseful and beautiful at the same time. All in all, an excellent read.”
– Book Addict Book Blog
“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.”
– Novels Alive
“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)
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:
Scott Brody works in broadcasting and ad sales in Southern California.He’s married with a daughter, two sons, and two grandchildren. He also wrote The Org, available on Amazon.
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.
Additional information from Scott Brody on Keeping Pepper:
In researching the setting for Keeping Pepper, I started with the thought of having my characters meet somewhere in Northern California, which is beautiful to begin with. As I looked, I discovered this area about two hours northeast of San Francisco with towns clustered around Clear Lake. I found it to be beautiful and somewhat magical, with Mt. Konocti looming over the lake. It’s an old area with an extensive history with the local indigenous tribes and early white settlers. Mt. Konocti itself is an ancient volcano, and there are many stories of bottomless tunnels crisscrossing the mountain, where air blew out of uncharted holes in its sides. I found it to be fascinating and offered a setting with lots of rich history and interesting symbolism for the book.
It later provided a very good backdrop for several major parts of the story – Richie’s painful fall on the mountain, and Pepper’s abduction by Dennis. I wanted to portray the beauty of that area and keep that presence throughout the story.
I feel like that worked well, since I have gotten quite a lot of feedback from people who read the book, commenting on how lovely I made the area sound. Several people have told me I made them want to go there to see it. An old friend of mine who lives in San Francisco thought I must have lived in Clear Lake somewhere, and was shocked when I told her I have only actually been there once.
Giveaway:
Click here for the giveaway.
From My Corner of the Universe 