Keith Marshall
RADFORD – Former Radford Vice Mayor Keith Marshall has just released his first novel, centered on a small town largely based on the City of Radford.
“The Haunting of Ingles Ferry” is described as “a spiritual horror, based around a malevolent attack on a small town called Ingles Ferry. It follows the life of its main character, Billy Duncan, who finds himself compelled to return to his hometown and face the evil that he had barely escaped so many years ago. “The Haunting of Ingles Ferry” is a tale of loss, fear, and finding the God given courage within us.”
Marshall says this is the first novel he has written, and it is something he has wanted to do for a long time.
“I wrote, like most of us, some short stories in college composition classes, but definitely nothing on this scale,” he said on Saturday. “I will say though, it has been something that I have wanted to do for a very large part of my adult life. I started and stopped a few books over the years, but I never could get past the first chapter or two. I would get bogged down in the details, especially having to make up all of those details in order to tell a story that the reader would enjoy.”
Marshall said he used his hometown as an inspiration for the setting of his book.
“I drew an extreme amount of inspiration for this story from Radford,” he said. “This is my hometown and there is not much about this city that I have not seen, heard, and experienced.”
“In fact, it was Radford that got me past those first couple of paragraphs that were always the stopping points in my failed writing attempts,” he continued. “I read some writing advice from Stephen King once and the gist of it was simple. Write about what you know. That is exactly what I have done. The people and the places are all fictitious, of course, but I drew great inspiration from Radford’s people and places to help form the characters and narratives for the story.”
“As the advice from King went, knowing and experiencing the place you are writing about makes the story much more real, not only to its readers but to the author as well. My characters and the places they go and the things they see are a compilation of people, places, and events from my childhood and adulthood spent right here.”
Marshall says that although the book is a horror story, he feels it is probably appropriate for pre-teems though adults. He says parents should use their best judgment when it comes to age-appropriateness.
“I always recommend that parents read the book first and make the determination for kids, but generally, I would recommend my book for preteens to adults,” he said. “This book contains no foul language or sexual situations, but it is a horror novel, and parents should take that into account. Overall though, I strongly believe that the positive message in this story far outweighs the evils that this book describes.”
The book has been well received, and Marshall says he is incredibly grateful for that.
“The book launch has been amazing and a lot of fun for me,” he said. “I am not sure what a launch is supposed to look like for a first-time author, but I have been overwhelmed by its response. I have really appreciated the kind comments and words of support from many in the community.”
“I especially appreciate them taking a chance and buying a book, knowing that this is my first go at this,” he continued. “That speaks to the kindness and supportive nature of Radford citizens toward one of their own, and I do not take that lightly.”
Marshall said he is not yet sure if he will be one-and-done as a novelist, but he does have some other stories he is considering.
“I honestly am not sure whether I will write more novels. I do have a couple of stories floating around in my mind, but I think I will wait until this latest adventure slows down to decide for sure. But I do have some ideas for possible future endeavors,” he said.
“We live in a wonderful small city. We may never face the evils that the characters and the Town of Ingles Ferry face in this novel, but we may face other challenges, and, even though different, they can be quite evil as well,” he remarked. “In the end, we all make a decision whether to run or to stand. These characters, along with an unusually smart dog, decide to make a stand. How they do it and how it turns out? Well, Radford will just have to read the book to find out!”
“The Haunting of Ingles Ferry” is available on Amazon as an e-book, paperback or hard cover book.
