After living in cities on each coast and traveling the world, one accomplished author eventually settled in Emporia, and he brought his long-time profession with him.
Phillip Finch, former journalist and author of more than 10 books, will appear at the Town Crier bookstore from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. April 3 to sign copies of his new book, “Devil’s Keep,” which is set to be released at the end of the month.
The story of how Finch arrived in Emporia is a long one, following him as he worked at newspapers in Washington D.C., and San Francisco, spent time living in the Philipines and, along the way, became an experienced cave diver. The sport formed the backdrop of his most recent book, “Diving Into Darkness,” a nonfiction account of two men’s experience with the perils of cave diving. After living for a time in Elk County, Finch brought his wife, Dahlia, and their two children to Emporia in February 2000.
His latest book is a novel, an international thriller that is meant to be the first in a series.
“It’s something I’ve never done before, but the main character is intended to be a continuing character,” Finch said. “The premise of the book is intended to carry the series.”
The story follows the experiences of Ray Favor, a former special ops agent with a dark past who looks to use his skills to right wrongs.
“The main character is a composite of several people that I’ve known over the years who have been involved in counter-intelligence work and special operations in the military,” Finch said. “... I felt that I knew the main character very well.”
The setting is something else with which Finch is familiar. The story is set in the Phillipines, where he lived for about a year in the late 1980s.
“I did a novel set in the Philipines in the early ’90s,” he said. “So I knew all the settings extremely well.”
The idea for the novel came to him late in 2008, and his written proposal was accepted by Pocket Books, a division of Simon & Schuster. It was originally supposed to be published last fall, so Finch worked hard on the novel for about four months.
For Finch, there is not much of a difference between writing fiction and nonfiction.
“It’s just that the expectations and the demands of the two are somewhat different,” he said. “Although if you write fiction that you hope to be realistic, the demands really are not that much different.”
Accuracy in setting and detail are important qualities, no matter what the genre is, Finch said.
“And conversely, when I do a nonfiction book, I want it to read like a novel,” he said. “I want it to be a story, and a storyteller is a storyteller. You have to get to the meat of the drama and build your book on that.”
Finch, who sold his first book before age 30, also has written and sold several screenplays, although none of them has yet made it to the screen.
“Devil’s Keep” will be available for purchase at the Town Crier event.