Guest Blogger: Robert Greer, author of Spoon (book giveaway!)

Today, I have the honor of welcoming author Robert Greer to the pages of Somebody Dies. His latest novel is Spoon, and this new book — "set in the contemporary American West" — is somewhat of a departure from his mystery series featuring C.J. Floyd.

Below, Greer lets us in on the origins of the novel. After that, read on to find out how to receive a free copy of the book.

My novel Spoon germinated from a short story that I wrote more than twenty years ago, the summer after I finished my master's degree in creative writing at Boston University. At that time, I was still writing what some would consider to be literary pieces and hadn't yet begun to work on the mysteries and medical thrillers that have now solidified my writing reputation.

Spoon is the story of a biracial cowboy searching the West for his roots. In doing so, Arcus Witherspoon (his given name) stumbles across a ranching family in Montana who are down on their luck. Spoon, it turns out, is oddly clairvoyant, and that gift helps him when the Darleys, the family he befriends, come up against a coal company that is trying to usurp their land.

I thought about the character of Arcus Witherspoon for a long time before I decided to expand my short story into a novel. More than anything, it was Spoon's tenacity and wisdom, I suspect, that kept me tethered to him all those years.

The novel does have a degree of suspense, so I couldn’t get away from my mystery/thriller roots altogether, but all in all, the piece is literary. Personally, I don't make much of a distinction between genre fiction and literary fiction. In the end, for me writing is simply writing. So in a sense, with Spoon, mystery, thriller, and literary buffs can have what they like, all rolled into one.

Many thanks to Robert Greer for offering some insight into the origins of Spoon. Greer's publisher, Fulcrum Books, has graciously offered 5 free copies of his book to the readers of Somebody Dies.

The first 5 people to send me their mailing address (via the e-mail address located in the site description at the top of this page) will receive a free copy of Spoon direct from the publisher. (Their publicist asks that only residents of the U.S. and Canada apply, however — and no P.O. boxes, please.)

Good luck, and thanks for reading about Spoon.