Meet The Author of Old Gold Mountain
I would love for you to meet Author, Bradley W. Wright! Read on to see why he wrote his novel Old Gold Mountain.
Why I Wrote Old Gold Mountain
I lived in San Francisco for almost fifteen years and during that time I commuted mainly by bike. One day, while biking down 3rd Street to the non-profit where I worked, I had this idea: a book about an artist in San Francisco who leads a secret double-life as a high-end cat burglar. I had recently read a book called Nine Live: Confessions of a Master Jewel Thief by Bill Mason and I was also re-reading some of the old Travis McGee books by John D. MacDonald at the time. I’m sure those inputs contributed to the idea.
I tucked the idea away in the back of my brain for several years. At the time, my artistic energy was taken up by oil painting. After my son was born, I didn’t have time for painting anymore, so I decided to start writing. That was when I revisited the idea and started taking it seriously.
I chose to set the book in San Francisco because that was where I lived at the time. I love San Francisco, but when I was writing the book, I was increasingly unhappy with the way the city, and my neighborhood, in particular, was changing. I incorporated a fair amount of commentary on the absurdities and overindulgences of the tech industry. At the same time, I tried to write very accurately about tech in the book. I worked hard on the scenes that involve hacking of computer systems.
The book is about a character, Justin, who feels stuck in a life he did not really choose and that no longer suits him. He jumps on a chance to solve a mystery because he wants to force himself to break out. I like the idea of multiple arcs in a story. So, he solves a mystery, but he also begins to solve what is wrong with his life. He has a long way to go on the second one, but it’s a start.
BLURB:
Justin Vincent is a San Francisco based artist who leads a secret double life as a cat burglar. He likes the freedom, money, and self-determination his unusual career provides but also increasingly feels that it is a life he fell into by accident. When a valuable painting is stolen from his lover Valerie, Justin agrees to use his underworld contacts and knowledge of the black market to help. The search leads him to an antiquities dealer who has fallen on hard times and a mysterious European middle man. With the help of his friend Ashna, a skilled hacker, and Gabrielle, owner of an art gallery in Nice, Justin gathers clues that lead him to a mysterious chateau in the South of France and a dangerous web of secrets and lies. To escape with his life and complete his objective, Justin’s skill, luck, and perseverance will be tested to their utmost limit.
Excerpt:
“What happened to that painting you used to have above the bed?” I asked.
“Above the bed? I didn’t—” Val turned, stopped speaking, breath caught.
A moment later, she whirled, flipped on the light switch, jumped onto the bed, and placed her hands on the wall above the headboard. In the light, I noticed there was a picture hanger still nailed into the wall and a square of slightly brighter paint where the painting had hung. She ran her hands over the bare wall then turned to look at me. Her eyes were manic, her body tense. “Tell me this is some kind of joke, Justin.”
“No joke,” I replied. “Was it there when you left for the gallery?”
“Yes, I think so.” She stepped down off the bed and started frantically pacing the room, looking everywhere. “I’m sure it was.”
“Did you have cleaners scheduled today?”
“No. They come on Wednesdays.”
“Did you leave your balcony door open?”
She looked at me, suddenly focusing. “No. I never leave it open.”
“It was open when we came in. Was it locked?”
“Maybe not. I don’t know. I was in a hurry.”
“Let’s see if anything else is missing,” I said, turning toward the door.
Valerie grabbed my arm, pulling me around to face her. “I don’t care if anything else is missing.” She was on the brink of tears, a tight, almost hysterical, edge to her voice. She raised her hands, placed them over her ears, shaking her head back and forth. “I don’t care. That painting is the only thing I own that I care about, Justin.”
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
I am a writer and educational technology professional. I lived in San Francisco for the past fifteen years but recently moved to Los Angeles with my wife and five year old son. My first book Old Gold Mountain is out now. Buy it at Amazon or Barnes & Noble. Also available through Apple iBooks, Google Play, and Indigo.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/rabbit_fighter
Website: http://www.bradleywwright.com
The book will be $0.99!
Bradley W. Wright will be awarding a $20 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click Here!
