One Word Interview with Kevin Crouch (and a giveaway!)

Today we welcome author Kevin Crouch, author of Borrowed Lives.

Stranded on a desert island! What's your must-have item?
My wife—I would want someone interesting to talk to.

Aw. That's sweet. :)

What period in history would you most like to visit?
1755—I want to know what life was really like in the court of Louis XV.

That sounds fascinating.

Which of your characters is most like you?
Idella Pinson— but perhaps not in a positive way.

It is amazing what our characters can teach us about ourselves, isn't it?

We're having a banquet in honor of your awesomeness. What are we serving for dessert?
Crème Brulee—is an explanation really necessary?

Mmmm. Sounds wonderful.

Which historical figure would you most like to have lunch with?
Josephine Beauharnaise— she witnessed the most transformative events of 18th and 19th Century history.

What an interesting woman. I would like to meet her too!

Thanks for being joining us in the writing chair today, Kevin!  

Kevin has graciously agreed to give a copy of his novel, Borrowed Lives, to a reader of the blog. Just leave a comment, and you'll be entered! Leave your email address, so I can reach you. Drawing will be held on Wed. October 23.

About Kevin Crouch
I grew up in a beautiful Northern California village that was entirely too small for my big imagination. Nearly every free hour was spent at the local library, reading about distant places I could only dream of visiting, and people whose lives were far more interesting than my own. At night, I would fall asleep imagining myself occupying the lives of the people that I came to know on paper.

Eventually, I escaped and was able to see some of the world that I had read about and have adventures of my own. As I continued to read, I became fascinated by the coincidences of history that cut across time: how people and places and dates intersect in unexpected ways, although sometimes separated by thousands of years. Along the way, I acquired a wife and best friend, a degree in fashion design, and a son, in that order.

More years passed. Careers came and went; some glamorous and some not. Over time, I found that the thing I most enjoyed doing was helping others to discover and develop their own talents. Thus, about ten years ago, I became a professor of fashion at a design college on the outer fringes of Nashville, Tennessee. I love the work, I love the creativity, and I love the freedom to dream.

I have co-authored two non-fiction books, at the request of my wife’s editor, The Gospel According to Elvis and Sun King: The Life and Times of Sam Phillips, the Man Behind Sun Records. Before my tenure as a professor, I designed professionally for Vogue, Nevada Ballet Theatre, and Disney. My wife says I have a dry sense of humor, which you will come to appreciate if you sign me to be a client. As a writer, I want to have a body of work, not just one novel. I’m looking for an agent I can form a relationship with to advise and help me achieve that goal.

www.kevincrouchwrites.com
kevin@kevincrouchwrites.com



Borrowed Lives by Kevin Crouch
Synopsis
Reclusive literary researcher Ray Haddon is on the verge of a breakdown. The carefully crafted cyber wall that was created to keep the outside world at bay became a prison after the death of trusted mentor Ruth Meredith. It appears that the only way out of this self-inflicted fortress of solitude is to retreat into the past to figure out how life got so complicated. But this is not solely a mental exercise. The secret behind Ray’s successful career is the ability to travel back in time to gather research first-hand from the borrowed lives of others. So two weeks are set aside for quiet soul-searching in the ancient past.

What should have been a straightforward journey turns to confusion when Ray is unexpectedly trapped in Edwardian London, in the host body of an individual whose troubled life eerily mirrors Ray’s own. Quick to embrace the distraction of fixing this host’s problems, Ray gets embroiled in a chance encounter that offers the possibility of romance. Along the way, Ray’s interference becomes the intersection point for a variety of real life historical personages whose lives intertwine in surprising ways. But what is ignored tends to fester, and before long Ray’s problems seize control. What follows is a disaster that leaves everyone involved worse off than before.

Angry and hurt, Ray finally arrives in 12th Dynasty Egypt, where the calamity of London is almost repeated. Recognizing the mistake in time, Ray is able to work the issues through in tandem with the new host body, coming to the realization that life must be lived in the present, not the past. An attempt to right the chaos left behind in London proves only partly successful, but sets Ray up for the biggest adventure of all: living one’s own life.

Borrowed Lives is the first book in a series about Ray Haddon. There is also a short story, Idella Pinson, about one of the characters from the book.