The Five Lost Days by William Petrick

Join William Petrick, author of the contemporary fiction novel, The Five Lost Days (Pearhouse Press, Nov. '08), as he virtually tours the blogosphere in December and January on his first virtual book tour with Pump Up Your Book Promotion!

About the author:

William Petrick is an Emmy Award-winning documentary producer/director who has created programs for National Geographic, Discovery, MTV, Court TV and many other cable and broadcast networks. He is currently a senior producer with Bill Moyers Journal on PBS. You can find out more about William's book by clicking here.

About the book:

Struggling documentary producer Michael Burns has traveled to the remote Maya Mountains of Belize to capture exclusive footage of the last surviving curandero. The traditional Mayan healer may hold the key to discovering new medicines among the vast, uncharted flora of the rain forest.

But with a violent civil war spilling across the border from neighboring Guatemala - and Burns inexplicably drawn to the aging curandero's American apprentice - the filmmakers stumble into a more explosive story than they ever could have imagined.

At once an adventure and an exploration into the nature of perception, THE FIVE LOST DAYS exposes the clash between modern culture and ancient beliefs.

REVIEW

“With spare prose, a fascinating location, strong characters and a damn good story, Petrick takes us into journalism’s heart of darkness; that is, the false sense of safety that comes with being the ‘outsider,’ the one who merely covers a story, versus the dangers of what might happen if one day you suddenly step away from of the middle of the road and fall into your story…”-- LINDA ELLERBEE, JOURNALIST AND AUTHOR

Interview:

Could you please tell us a little about your book?

It’s a book about how what we see around us depends more on what we believe than on what we actually see. To put it another way, believing is seeing. Anyway, the story follows a documentary producer struggling to keep his life and career afloat as he travels to the remote Maya Mountains of Belize and Guatemala—the land of the indigenous Mayans who think the "real" world is the spirit world.

Who or what is the inspiration behind this book?

The real inspiration for this novel came from the kind of work that I do as a documentary filmmaker. I was intrigued how, for better or worse, journalists and filmmakers become our eyes on the world often with dubious consequences.

Who has influenced you throughout your career as a writer?

Other writers. I read out of enjoyment but also with a sense of purpose. I want to see, experience and learn how other writers have used language and ideas to shape narrative, to tell stories. There is nothing I like more than a good story, whether it’s literary, genre or just somebody spinning a yarn on the seat next to you.

What are you currently working on?

I’m midway into a new novel set in Haiti about soldiers and human rights activists. So far, it’s really about what every writer has to struggle with: doing what you believe is right no matter what anyone else thinks.

Is there an author that inspired you to write?

When I was in sixth grade I read the Jack London short story, "To Build a Fire" as part of the Great Books Program. I was so impressed and excited about the story and the magic of reading something come to life. I thought, wow, you can do all this with words?! From that moment, I wanted to write stories.

What do you feel sets this book apart from others in the same genre?

On the basic and important level of story-telling, my novel sits solidly in the "adventure" camp of narrative. But it does other things both in style and ideas that add more layers to it and make it a richer experience.

WIN PRIZES!

THE FIVE LOST DAYS VIRTUAL BOOK TOUR '08 will officially begin on December 1 and end on January 30. You can visit William's blog stops at http://www.virtualbooktours.wordpress.com/ in December and January to find out where he is appearing!As a special promotion for all our authors, Pump Up Your Book Promotion is giving away a FREE virtual book tour to a published author or a $50 Amazon gift certificate to those not published who comments on our authors' blog stops. More prizes will be announced as they become available. The winner(s) will be announced at the end of every month!