As you developed the story, did any of the characters surprise you?
Hmm. I didn’t expect Gomez Gomez’s sidekick, Bones, originally. But I enjoyed writing him. I found a lot of depth there.
Also, when Elvis jumped into Gomez Gomez’s addled world it took me by surprise. I thought about pushing him out but, in the end, he was just too fun to eliminate (plus he’s Elvis, man! Who am I to tell him what to do?).
What are you hoping readers will take away after they read The Beautiful Ashes of Gomez Gomez?
Simple—hope and joy. With maybe a smile or two thrown in. These are such dark times. In the book deals with some tough subject matter, but the one great truth in the universe is that God’s love is insistent. That is the clarion call. His love will prevail no matter how deep and dark our valley.
You’re a singer-songwriter who has branched into novel-writing. Do you favor one format over the other?
Funny, I was having this conversation over lunch with a friend yesterday. I can say this: I’ve loved writing songs for a lot of years. It’s taken me around the world and allowed me to meet and work with a many of my musical heroes.
But writing novels is so different. The only way I can describe it is that I can lean back in the language and relax in a way that’s impossible to do with songs. I still enjoy songwriting, but compared to books, there’s something that falls a little short. Writing books fulfills me in a different and very special way.
Visit Buck Storm’s author page:
https://www.familyfiction.com/authors/buck-storm
The Beautiful Ashes of Gomez Gomez
Buck Storm
Kregel Publications
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Literary Americana fiction filled with humor and heart
When his wife, Angel, is killed in a head-on collision, Gomez Gomez feels he can’t go on—so he doesn’t. He spends his days in the bushes next to the crash site drinking Thunderbird wine, and his nights cradling a coffee can full of Angel’s ashes. Slow, sure suicide, with no one for company but the snakes, Elvis’s ghost, and a strange kid named Bones.
Across town, Father Jake Morales plays it safe, haunted by memories of the woman he left behind, hiding his guilt, loss, and love behind a thick wall of cassock and ritual. Then a shady business deal threatens the town–and his good friend Gomez Gomez—and Father Jake can’t just stand by and watch. But what happens when the rescuer is the one in need of saving?
The Beautiful Ashes of Gomez Gomez is quirky, heartfelt, and deeply human. Lives and hopes collide in the town of Paradise, stretching across decades and continents in this epic story of forgiveness, redemption, and love.