Please Welcome Novelist J.T. Riggen

with J.T. Riggen

We are delighted to welcome novelist J.T. Riggen to Omnimystery News.

J.T.'s debut thriller is Uptown (Dog Ear Publishing; May 2013 trade paperback and ebook formats), and today he introduces us to the book by providing a backstory to the characters and the storyline.

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Photo provided courtesy of
J.T. Riggen

My debut novel tackles the issue of sex trafficking head on, with an irresistibly-captivating and thought-provoking narrative.

The story is told from multiple simultaneous perspectives creating complex feelings of attachment to each character including the hero, the villain, and the victim, and will keep readers guessing as to which character fits into each role all the way to the fast-paced and breathtaking conclusion.

It is a book based on opposite/opposing perspectives as well as how far people are willing to go to achieve "true justice", and to what degree an act can be "just" when the path to get it becomes so twisted and sinister.

It also raises some deeper and more profound gray-area questions regarding our perception of ethics, morals, and the current system. Rachel Davis' story will captivate and inspire while the juxtaposition of the other characters will force people to think about where their morals and ethics lie.

I want my readers to have something totally new to sink their teeth into. Sex trafficking is a very real problem in our country, yet few books will fictionalize it for fear of offending victims. I'm certainly trying to push the boundaries in a way that highlights the problems we face with this reprehensible illegal trade, while staying respectful of those living the life for themselves.

Writing Uptown has been the most fun and rewarding experience I have ever had. When I first started writing this novel it was simply because I was in-between jobs at the time and wanted to keep myself busy by pursuing a lifelong passion in writing. After a couple weeks my mind began to race faster and faster with bigger and better ideas. It came to a point where I had to slow myself down and start the process from the beginning with a bit more intention and focus.

I decided to tackle this book starting with the characters. I knew that this would be a multiple POV novel, and I wanted the content to force the reader to empathize and sympathize with everyone's story. Jose Ortega, a famous Spanish philosopher wrote, "Yo soy yo y mi circunstancia," which translated means, "I am I plus my circumstances." This holds true within each character's presentation and plays to the reader's emotional connection to each individual. A book can have the best, most original and fast paced action sequences ever written, but without extreme investment in characters, those scenes become worthless. So I started by writing down every single character's deepest and most deep-rooted personality traits/strengths/and flaws as if writing their autobiography from a psychotherapist's point of view.

For example here is a look at my actual, original pass at the characterization of the main character, Mark Kennedy:

Mark Kennedy is a hyper-motivated, highly trained, intelligent individual that is overrun with complex and often conflicting attitudes, morals, and perspective. He wants desperately to make a difference and help those who are truly in need. He wants desperately to do right by his colleagues, friends, and family. However, he often finds himself on the razor's edge between behaviour that is truly ethical (despite its legality) and behaviour that is certainly not, especially when it comes to his investigations. Burdened by the system and personal loss, he finally takes his first step down a dark path that leads him to commit a brutal crime for which he is sentenced to life in prison without parole. Completely disenfranchised, the line between right and wrong blur and fade. His ability to be icy-calm in high stress situations, coupled with his developing superficial confidence and anxiety during day-to-day life spreads his psyche thin, and makes him as much an invaluable asset as it does a dangerous liability to all he comes into contact with.

From this point in the process, once the character profiles were complete, I envisioned that the story I was about to tell was simply a retrospective documentary on a series of individual events that collided; a series of "truths" that converged and compiled to create the story, Uptown. I hope you all enjoy!

You can visit my Goodreads page or join the Facebook page for the book trailer, book giveaways, and general information.

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Jim Riggen hails from Montpelier, Vermont. After graduating from the University of Vermont, he moved to Miami, Florida, where he attended Barry University's Physician Assistant Master's program. The sharp contrasts between his hometown and Miami fascinated him. Especially intriguing was the idea that so many individual life-changing events can occur simultaneously — a birth and a death, a wedding and a kidnapping — and how these different paths can collide unexpectedly, leading Jim to write Uptown, a book founded on these stark contrasts.

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Uptown
J.T. Riggen
A Crime Thriller

Ex-Detective Mark Kennedy was sentenced to spend the rest of his life in prison for his part in a vicious, mob-related crime. He does what he must to survive prison life, and when he suddenly finds himself free — back amongst old friends and enemies-he is drawn into a life he never thought he would lead again.

Rachel Davis is a capable young woman, ready for college and the beginning of her new life, yet she is unprepared for the terror that awaits her on an innocent night out on the town.

Detective Will Sutherland thought he had escaped the corruption of his previous job when he moved to Brattleboro, Vermont, but with the sudden rise in local violent crime, he is forced to face his past-and his dangerous obsession with his own investigation.

Set against the backdrop of a luxurious, state-of-the-art casino that attracts both high rollers and the lowest of criminals, these characters' individual stories are woven into a dark tapestry. It's a world where manipulation means control, and the concept of trust is the difference between life and death.

Who is willing to go the furthest and break the rules to achieve justice? And to what degree is justice served when the path to attain it turns sinister and twisted?