***
Something is terribly wrong in Detroit.
When Chris and Sarah bought an abandoned library to renovate and live in, they expected to be on the ground floor of the revival of Detroit. But unbeknownst to them, the city is about to fall. The devastation begins with a single woman who mysteriously tears off her clothing and starts walking the perimeter of an empty lot. Within minutes, hundreds of disparate people inexplicably form a giant human circle that slowly revolves like a hurricane of flesh. They twitch and spasm, contorting their naked bodies in a primordial death dance. They’re oblivious to everything, even the unfortunate souls who fall beneath their feet.
Bewildered citizens and authorities are desperate to know what’s causing the bizarre event… at least until it starts to rain.
Chris and Sarah abruptly find themselves trapped in a forsaken city. To survive, they must evade the horrifying illness, find food and shelter in a suddenly primitive world… and have a battle plan for when the circle stops spinning…
***
Originally from small town Vermont, Keith Varney is an award-winning musical theater writer and actor. He has written Book, Music and Lyrics in various combinations for I GOT FIRED (Best American Musical – DIMF), ELWAY: THE MUSICAL, THE OTHER SEX, JOSHUA: THE MUSICAL, PIE EATER & SCOOBY DOOSICAL. He has also written songs for Submissions Only, Hot Mess in Manhattan, See You Lighter, My Mother is a Sex Therapist & Dystopia Gardens. As an actor he has performed professionally in musicals including Les Miserables, The Producers, The Full Monty, Titanic and I Got Fired (Best Actor in a Musical - DIMF). He has a degree in classical voice from the Eastman School of Music. He now lives in Astoria NY with his wife Jillian, who is a Broadway actress. “The Dead Circle” is his debut novel. For more information, please visit www.keithvarneywriter.com.
What gave you the inspiration for this book?
Although it probably sounds cheesy, the idea for the book came in a dream. I had a dream that featured thousands of naked people marching/dancing in a giant circle in the middle of a city. How I describe it in the book is pretty much what I dreamt, including the weird primitive movements, the rain, and the shadows thrown on the side of the buildings. That gave me the iconic image of the book and the main mystery: why is the entire population of a city naked and writhing around and around in an empty lot?
Then there was the second part of the dream that took place on the balcony of a small library. The abandoned library gave me a location for our main characters to live. Also included in the dream was a moment in the finale that I won’t mention because of spoiler issues, but I will say that’s when I woke up scared shitless.
I have gotten in the habit of writing everything I dream down as soon as I wake up—partially as fodder for my writing and partially as fodder for my therapist who will probably have a field day with this book. The world that my subconscious created stuck with me. It felt very visual and cinematic so I decided to turn it into a screenplay.
I had an interesting situation and obstacle for my characters, but then I had to solve a bunch of mysteries. What was happening? Why was it happening? What would I do if I were in this position? What would it feel like? Once I answered these questions I pretty much had the story.
I really enjoyed the characters in the screenplay but I felt like I wanted to go a little deeper. So as a fun adventure, I turned it into this novel.
$50 Amazon Gift Card
10 ebook copies of The Dead Circle
Open Worldwide
Ends Dec. 2nd
Prizing is provided by the author, hosts are not responsible. Must be 13 or older to enter and have parental permission if under 17. Void where prohibited by law. No purchase necessary to win.
This event was organized by CBB Book Promotions.
Interesting inspiration. My dreams are just weird.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for hosting a tour stop!
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