Books and Banter: T. C. Koury ~ 2nd appearance ~ Synthesis: Legion of Stateside Delusions

TITLE: Synthesis: Legion of Stateside Delusions

RELEASE DATE: June 5, 2016

AUTHOR: T.C. Koury

PAGE COUNT: 379

ISBN: 978-1530719587

IMPRINT: White Stag

KEYWORDS: LSD, Bohemian Club, D.B. Cooper, Escape from Alcatraz, Pacific Coast Highway, New Orleans, college, fraternity, M-ULTRA, Owsley Stanley, drugs, cartel, CIA, CDC, James “Whitey” Bulger, Watergate, War on Drugs, William Pickard

CATEGORIES: Historical Fiction/Suspense/Strange Fiction

ONE LINER: Take a trip down the rabbit hole. Once you discover the truth below the surface, you are forever changed.

SYNOPSIS:

When Jim Sinclair and two college friends synthesize a million doses of LSD as a means of financing a post-graduation road trip across country and living expenses for their first few years on their own, they had no idea of the nightmare they would unleash. In a ‘down the rabbit hole’ experience worthy of Alice in Wonderland, the boys’ journey becomes ever more bizarre as they run afoul of the police, violent biker gangs, rogue federal agents and a mysterious clutch of powerful men who seem to guide events toward an unknown and frightening climax.

Synthesis: Legion of Stateside Delusions is a strange, twisted tale not to be missed by lovers of adventure and mystery.

Guest Post:

I cannot divulge any private information regarding the tales and characters in Synthesis. It would not be fair to those who wish to remain anonymous as character influences and for myself as a writer to put my future or my career at risk. What I can tell you all, however, is that almost character in the novel is someone who I know very well. Coming up with a diverse cast for a compelling read is not something that can typically be done overnight. Fortunately for me, my friend group from college is very unique. These people came from all over the country, and had many stories of their own to tell. My fraternity was an incredibly diverse group of people who were not afraid to be themselves, and this mentality naturally attracted many women as well. Medical school hopefuls hung around the athletes, musicians were roommates with those who liked their peace and quiet, the lazy stoners spent their leisure time with the alcoholic savages, and the academically-inclined hung out with the guys who never stepped foot in the library. The fact that all of these people cooperated so well is nothing short of a miracle, and that is what made the dialogue so easy to produce.

When the writing process came down to the wire and began getting more and more serious, I decided to either closely observe interactions between my fellow fraternity brothers and me or call the ones who were no longer around to explain certain situations over the phone and get their take on the matter. I got a better idea of what each person would say in any scenario I produced for the characters I based them on following these observations. I had it down to a science eventually, and I got to the point where I could picture how any combination of characters would react in any situation. It became an experiment of sorts, and often I was able to accurately predict the reactions these people would have following certain events in day-to-day life. Being a writer in a college setting allowed me to obtain a firmer grasp on dialogue and body language than most reclusive novelists. This helped capture some of the mischief in its purest form, and I placed myself in the middle of all of it. Oftentimes, I was the cause of whatever situation arose.

If I was to say that I was any of these characters, it would be Jim of course. However, not all of me is within Jim. The moral, fair, balanced, sensible, and loving side of me is Jim. The mischievous and fun-loving side of me with a touch of caution is Mitch. I would have to say that, besides Jim, Mitch is the most important character in the novel. I have a friend who I modeled Mitch after, even down to the attire, and he has and will remain one of the most charismatic people I’ve ever met in my entire life. Of the stories you’ll read in the book involving Jim and Mitch, I’d say about eighty-five percent of those events actually took place at some point or another. There is a little bit of myself in Mitch’s character, and a portion of my friend in Jim. Describing their relationship in the novel with dialogue and action was incredibly simple because it was just a retelling of a few memories placed in a different corner of time and of the world.

As far as the rest of the characters are concerned, many of them have gone their own separate ways and begun to live normal lives. It is quite sad to see close friends grow apart, and although we keep in touch quite often, it will never be as it was. If nothing else comes of this novel, I can sleep easy knowing that I was able to compile all of our fond memories into a work of fiction. Fiction, to me, is nothing more than the embellished truth with the inclusion of a few aliases. We all have dreams we wish tackle, either for personal gain or for the betterment of those around us. Writing this novel has been a dream of mine for quite a while, and having some of the most interesting people surround me for the past four years has made this process nothing less than spectacular.

AUTHOR BIO:

I was born and raised in Alabama to a military father and an elementary school teacher mother. I had very humble beginnings, but my family moved around quite a bit after September 11, 2001. My little brother and I were the best of friends growing up, and we were all each other had while living in Virginia for part of 2003 before moving back to Alabama. Upon our return, we discovered that our mother was expecting another child and our youngest brother was born in 2004, completing the trio. I am currently on track to finish my undergraduate degree in applied mathematics, and the changes we experienced growing up allowed me to adapt to things quite easily and pursue many different activities. I have travelled from east coast to west coast, and all across Italy and parts of Europe. I enjoy variety, which is why my hobbies include reading, writing, playing guitar, craft-beer tasting, traveling, and playing basketball. I hope to move to Los Angeles, California following my graduation in May 2016 and pursue acting, journalism, screenplay writing, and continue writing novels.

AUTHOR LINKS:

http://www.twitter.com/thomaskoury

http://www.facebook.com/thomas.koury

http://www.theoddysey.com/thomas.koury

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