Emerald Necklace

An In-depth Interview on THE TOWPATH  It’s been a minute since I’ve posted. With several life events happening, including the loss of my father this past summer, the loss of my brother-in-law this past fall, and a whole lot of stress from the day job, it’s been difficult to keep up. And of course, launching my debut novel has come with its own stressors, including learning a new platform for my revamped website, which still has some bugs to work out. But there have been some bright spots related to my book, including a feature from the Akron Beacon Journal, courtesy of Barbara McIntyre’s “Book Talk” column, and one that was recently published on Cleveland.com. It’s that article that I’d like to reprise here, but in its full glory, as there was much the editorial team had to leave on the cutting room floor to keep the reading time reasonable. I have no such bounds for my personal blog and had much to share in the in-depth interview, much of which I think could be interesting reading—if I do say so myself. Hence, what follows is my full interview with Maura Zurick (who did a fantastic job) of Cleveland.com and the local Northeast Ohio Sun newspapers. Could you tell me a little about yourself?  I’ve lived in Northeast Ohio for nearly my entire life, having grown up in Akron before moving to Cuyahoga Falls where I spent a good chunk of my formative years. I attended St. Vincent-St. Mary High School and earned my bachelor’s degree from the University of Dayton. By trade, I am a User Experience (UX) Design professional and leader (currently Director of UX at Rockwell Automation) and my previous employers have included small startups and Progressive Insurance. And yes, I’ve squeezed in fiction writing too! I currently reside in Broadview Heights with my wife Becky, and my sons Nathan (16) and Wesley (10), and love spending time in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park and our surrounding “Emerald Necklace” Metro Park system. Congratulations on the release of “The Towpath.” What inspired you to write a time travel suspense thriller set in this region? Thank you! I always knew that I wanted to try my hand at fiction, though it took me a long time to work up the courage. For several years now, I’ve written non-fiction, including writing a monthly column for UXmatters magazine, where I share insights for the global UX design community. However, the itch to write fiction has always been there and I’ve been a life-long avid reader, having devoured everything from Cormac McCarthy to Jane Austen. I knew I wouldn’t be fulfilled unless I gave myself a chance, and so I started by writing a few short stories here and there to see how it would feel and to learn what it’s like to work with a fiction editor. When it came time to consider my debut novel, I admit I was overwhelmed. So, as what I tend to do in my professional life, I chose to make the problem smaller and focus on what I know and know well, which is our region and our incredible Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Doing so made it easier to take on the heady topic of time travel, which was no small task. And finally, I wanted to pay homage to our green spaces, which I feel are unsung and undersold. Though, in a way, I don’t want them becoming too popular! How did you come up with the idea for “The Towpath,” and what drew you to the suspense and time travel genres? As for the suspense side of the equation, I simply wanted to tell a story that got the heart pumping. As for time travel, there’s a deeper backstory. I’ve long been convinced that time doesn’t operate the way we think it does, and books such as Carlo Rovelli’s THE ORDER OF TIME have further cemented this conviction. But there’s a personal side of this too. When I was ten or so, my dad told me that he’d been fishing along the banks of the Cuyahoga River earlier in the day, alone, and he kept getting the sense that he was being watched. But whenever he’d turn to see who he knew was behind him, he’d see nothing but swaying reeds. He was in a hard-to-reach spot. It was early morning and there was a constant drizzle. Needless to say, he wasn’t expecting any company. Perhaps it was the breeze off the Cuyahoga playing tricks on him. Maybe a whitetail deer was passing along the ridge of the steep embankment above. But perhaps it was something else. Someone else. Watching. Now, I should mention that he told me this story after he’d previously described the various indigenous tribes who’d once called the Cuyahoga River Valley home. An association quickly formed in my ten-year-old brain. I feel the best stories always start with the question, “what if?” What if it wasn’t just a ghost watching my dad, but someone from the past—in the flesh? If so, how would that be possible? A story took root from there, and it set me on a journey that soon drove itself, demanding I tell a story that I hadn’t initially expected to tell. In fact, there’s a scene in “The Towpath” where a character is fishing at an out-of-the-way spot in the CVNP and feels as if she’s being watched.  The book is set along the CVNP’s towpath. How important was the setting to the story, and what do you think it adds to the book? The Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail isn’t the only familiar setting in the book, but it’s definitely a key one. Many of my favorite stories feature fast-paced scenes that leave you breathless, and again, get your heart racing—even literally—and the Towpath Trail lends itself well to one of the most suspenseful chase scenes in the book. There’s also an ethereal and even foreboding quality to the Cuyahoga Valley, especially in the