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IU undergraduate's novel to be published in May
April 26, 2001
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Like more than 6,000 other Indiana University Bloomington students, Chris Edwards will celebrate his graduation from college in May. Unlike the others, he also will celebrate the release of his first novel.
SterlingHouse Publishers of Pittsburgh will send the first copies of Edwards' debut novel, Angel on the Lost Highway, to bookstores in May. Edwards, 24, wrote the novel while studying for a bachelor's degree in social studies education at IU. Recently he completed a second novel, but he said he does not see writing as his full-time job.
"Writing is just something I enjoy that I do a couple of hours a day. It's not going to be my profession," Edwards said. "I still want to be a high school social studies teacher."
Another of Edwards' hobbies -- bull riding -- served as the basis for the novel. He has ridden bulls at several local rodeos, but gave it up out of boredom. The experience gave him enough knowledge of the sport for the novel, but the main character is completely fictional, he said.
"This novel is not in any way about me," he said. "For one thing, the main character, Angel, is a decent cowboy. I, however, was lousy."
The novel is a compelling first-person account of 19-year-old loner Angel Dempsey, who rambles across the country riding bulls and living recklessly, all the while trying to escape the recurring nightmares of his abusive childhood. Angel has taken to the road alone because his torturous past doesn't allow him to fit in anywhere.
Eventually Angel begins traveling with a fellow cowboy named Bryce, who also is running from his past. Bryce, an illegal alien, is on the run from the law because he stole $2 million from a former employer and is accused of a murder he didn't commit.
Angel's troubles begin when his association with Bryce leads to his mistakenly being identified as Bryce. As Angel continues to run from Bryce's legal problems and his own demons, he encounters a colorful and diverse group of characters -- including Lori, an enchanting young woman from a blueblooded family, who steals his heart and tries to straighten out his life. But will giving up honky-tonks, rodeo queens and life on the road be enough to straighten out his life, or will his destructive ways lead to his downfall?
Pre-orders for the novel are currently being taken on the Barnes & Noble and Borders Web sites.
(Kevin A. Gray, 812-856-5682, keagray@indiana.edu)