Little Rush is a sleepy town on the Ohio River. Bruce Michaels is a renowned Hollywood actor. The two should never cross paths, yet one summer everything changes — Everything, Somewhere by @DavidKummer7
Tweet

Author Q&A

Q: What inspired you to write this book?

This book came from a few different ideas and intentions. One of the first and major ideas was to write a book about my hometown, specifically diving into the people and stories that make up the place. That hometown, Madison, Indiana, is a major character in the book, though under the name of Little Rush. I tried to write honestly and openly about the good and the bad, from different point of views.

That idea evolved into two major themes throughout the book. Everything, Somewhere is all about normal life. Sure, there are some incredible things that happen, ranging from the unlikely to the improbable, but everything is about accepting and treasuring average life. Writing this allowed me to explore the idea of a normal life, what that means, the pros and cons, and this eventually led to another big topic. Writing about mental illness and suicide gave me the chance to write a heartwarming but brutally honest story about the state of today’s teenagers, but also adults. Balancing these two themes and a plot full of big characters, big ideas, was an incredibly rewarding experience. I have no doubt that it’ll be just as rewarding for you to read.

Q: What did you enjoy most about writing this book?

In the process of writing and editing this book, I most enjoyed diving into my hometown. I selected specific POV characters so I could see the town from all angles, many different backgrounds. Before I could write anything, I had to research and learn and feel the different settings that would make their way into my novel. Thinking about the moving parts of the town and how they all work together like seismic plates. While at the beginning, the town of Little Rush/Madison served as a major motivator, the characters are what really brought the story to life.

Q: Do you have any “side stories” about the characters?///What did you edit out of this book?

I have a plethora! Most of them were never written out in full chapters, although a handful were. Most of the “side stories” are just plot points, never fully developed, or maybe a few paragraphs that I never expanded. There were three different endings I worked with from the beginning, eventually leaving two behind, and while I’ll never reveal the other two, I can say they were much darker.

One story that you might find interested occurred near the beginning of the book. The main character’s friend, and POV character in her own right, is named Willow. There were two chapters written out where she interacts with a friend who is moving out of town, and it’s sort of a goodbye scene meant to foreshadow some events later in the book. While the chapters were good, I decided not to include them, for sake of brevity but also the friend’s character never got developed enough. Trust me, in the end it was a good thing, though it did have a few killer lines I held onto for later use!

Q: What book do you think everyone should read?

As I read more and more books, the one I recommend is always changing. I’ll have one for a few months that I love and want everyone to hear about, and then I find a new one that’s just as amazing. For the last few weeks, I’ve been really high on the book “Where the Crawdads Sing” by Delia Owens. It’s constantly on the top charts, so likely some of you have already read it, but for everyone who hasn’t, I highly recommend!

I will admit the book is tough at first. There’s lots of long, beautiful descriptions, and the plot is slow at first, but once you get in deep it grabs you by the throat. Those beautiful descriptions that are laborious at first become key to understanding the book and its plot. Reading it made me feel more connected with nature than I ever had before in my life, even though I’ve never visited the place it occurs. The characters are just as captivating, and you really become invested in Kya (the main character) and how her life turns out. One of the best books I’ve read, so definitely check it out!

Q: If you could have been the author of any book ever written, which book would you choose?

For this answer, I could easily have said “Where the Crawdads Sing” again, but instead I’ll go with the book that I became obsessed with two years ago. I’ve written about it extensively on my blog, because I have some really weird/cool stories to go along with the book review, but “The Little Stranger” by Sarah Waters is wildly good! It’s the kind of book I wish I could have written.

While the book is a thriller and a mystery, the beautiful writing takes it from being great to legendary. The plot itself is slow-burning and unnerving, one of the most memorable. There are hints of love and of ghosts, the struggle of grief. It’s all put together perfectly and sticks to your skin even after you’re finished. The last page is, I think, the best closing I’ve ever read, as haunting as the whole book that preceded it. There’s even a movie, if you’re into that sort of thing! So, yeah, this was kinda just another book recommendation. You’ll thank me later.

Q: What is your writing Kryptonite?

My greatest difficulty writing is that I get so caught up in my characters’ heads. This is a good thing in one sense, because it allows me to fully realize their motives and actions. However, it makes description tricky because I have to keep in mind the world outside of my characters, how the setting relates and reacts to them. That’s one of the hardest parts about writing, especially for me, and it takes vigilance to keep in mind the world beyond my characters’ view. With each book I write, I do a better job, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a struggle!

Everything, Somewhere
by David Kummer
Genre: Contemporary YA Fiction

The power of memories.
Little Rush is a sleepy town on the Ohio River. Bruce Michaels is a renowned Hollywood actor. The two should never cross paths, yet one summer everything changes. The actor, haunted by demons, chasing a ghost. The town, unaware. Until the two collide.
Hudson, Willow, and Mason are high school seniors with very different upbringings, but all on the verge of adulthood. As the sun sets on their final summer, questions abound. Will they ever leave the town? Is there a future here? As their plans waver, time is running out.The struggle of mental illness.
As he loses his friends and sinks deeper into depression, Hudson forms an unlikely bond with the actor, Bruce Michaels. But the old man is a ticking time bomb. As Hudson relies on him more, the danger to them both grows.
When dark secrets are revealed, Hudson must confront the truth about his idol and himself. Bruce Michaels isn’t who he seems. Hudson is nearly lost. And in the end, they may be more similar than different.The search for meaning.
Different paths, converging in a web of alcohol, fights, and romance. Worlds collide one summer in Anywhere, USA. The question is who will make it through.
Goodreads * Amazon

CHAPTER 2

If dating Mason taught me one thing, it was that people who admired sunsets were super annoying. They thought every glimmer of the sky deserved applause, like nothing beautiful ever took place on terrestrial earth. Both of the boys were like that, but Hudson even more so. The three of us were alike in a lot of ways, but those two never got over their love for sunsets.

The river struck me as a more beautiful and awe-inspiring sight. Consistent, strong, and dangerous. Unlike the sun, an object we could never aspire to, the river was right there. A physical place, shared by generations and people groups, one that we had the privilege of seeing daily. So many people walked by without acknowledging the simplistic and incredible. But then again, you could say the same about Little Rush. If the river was the forgotten treasure of the town, maybe we were the forgotten river of the country.

My relationship with Little Rush was confusing. I loved the town. I admired so many streets and views and places. The memories I had were irreplaceable. The drunken conversations at Mason’s cabin. The time I convinced Hudson to try a cigarette. All the trouble I achieved in school, even without those two, and the anxiety leading up to each August. But that summer, right before our senior year, brought so many questions for us. After high school, what then? To stay or to go? Build a life here or pack up everything, catch the first train to anywhere?

The trains didn’t run anymore. They hadn’t in decades. But it would’ve been cool, and it made for a nice thought.

It’s not like I had some fantastical idea of the town. I grew up in poverty. My parents were divorced, and I almost never saw my younger brother. I got a job at fifteen and walked to it each day for the first year. But even I couldn’t ignore the intrinsic beauty found in this forgotten corner of the world. The feeling of a magnet, somewhere under these streets, and each day it pulled just a little harder. Something here wanted me to stay, wanted desperately. There were days I resisted and other times when I didn’t.

I find it amusing that for everybody in Little Rush, part of your personality is how you relate to the town itself. As if it’s that friend with a bit of a reputation, and what you think of them defines you, too. I guess when put that way, Little Rush is magnetic after all. It’s gorgeous, witty, layered, and nuanced. None of which I think about on a daily basis.

No, on a typical day at my dad’s apartment, I wake up and glance outside first thing in the morning. Peering through my window, an alleyway, and down two intersections, I can just barely make out the Ohio River. Fog billowing from its surface and covering downtown like a blanket.

A magnet. Just have to give in.

My name is David Kummer. I’m a young writer who leans towards horror, mystery, dystopian, and young adult fiction. I live in Madison, Indiana, a small town on the Ohio River, with lots of history and settings around here that influence my books. You can see tons about my hometown in my novel, EVERYTHING, SOMEWHERE.I always answer whenever readers email me, so reach out or check out my blog at https://davidkummer.com. I’ve got a handful of books for you to choose from, all of them inexpensive. Reviews and shares are super appreciated.You may have read some great authors before and some fascinating books, but you’ve never had an experience like this. Try something and let me convince you.
Website * Facebook * Twitter * Bookbub * Amazon * Goodreads