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EXCERPT ONE:A photograph can tell the truth. It can also get you killed.
Ethan McGuire’s relentless pursuit of explosive stories has cost him his family, his integrity, and now–possibly–his life. While documenting the rise of white supremacist movements in Western New York, Ethan encounters a world of neo-Nazis, heavily armed survivalists, rogue FBI agents, and violent criminals, all with something to hide. But when a crew of ruthless bank robbers starts hunting him for photos he doesn’t even know he has, the stakes turn deadly.
As his enemies close in and his family becomes a target, Ethan must expose the truth–before it buries him. Shooting at Shadows is a relentless thriller and chilling cautionary tale, inspired by the author’s real-life experiences as a photojournalist. It exposes the darkness lurking beneath the surface of American extremism–and the cost of bringing it to light.
"One hopes that McMullin has further adventures planned for his unlikely hero." –Kirkus Reviews
"...a provocative thriller exploring highly pertinent themes in American culture today..." –Fredrick Soukup, author of Blood up North
Someone outside began pounding on the truck in time to the chant and within moments it sounded like everyone who could reach the sides was pounding too:
“BOOM BOOM BOOM! BOOM BOOM BOOM!
“KKK! GO AWAY! KKK! GO AWAY!”
It was deafening, like being inside a giant bass drum. The thin metal walls of the truck amplified the beating and Ethan could feel the horrible reverberation in his chest. Everyone moved toward the center of the bed as if the walls could come crashing in on them at any second. The two holding the rear gate down were fighting the door as people outside tried to raise it.
Suddenly the pounding stopped and Ethan felt the truck moving. The crowd was so loud he hadn’t heard the engine start. But how could they get through that mob without running anyone over? Maybe if Kevin went slowly enough, they’d let the truck pass. Surely the police would be able to get there and see to their safety. Then he realized it wasn’t forward motion he felt. The truck was swaying side to side. The chanting changed too. “O-VER! O-VER! O-VER!” They were trying to turn the truck on its side. Ethan didn’t think it could be done, but with this many people it was impossible to know for sure.
Everyone inside moved away from the center and put their hands against the sides to steady themselves. It was like trying to stand in a boat on choppy seas. Back and forth, back and forth the truck rocked, gaining momentum every time. Ethan saw the men holding the door down lose their balance and fall. The door rose and blinded them with brilliant sunlight.
GUEST POST:
I’m a little hesitant to offer advice about writing to new authors since Shooting at Shadows is my first novel, but I did learn a lot in the process, so here goes.
Read a lot. Read everything, but especially in the genre you’re writing. Pay attention while you read. Take notice of how the writer constructs a scene, how they convey dialog, how they describe characters. Is it too much? Do you wish for more? What is there you wish you could do? What is there you think you could do better? Writing has made me a much more critical reader and I’m thankful for that.
Take a class and/or find a writers’ group. These two can be almost interchangeable, but either (or both) can be enormously helpful. As we all know, writing is a very solitary practice. We toil for weeks/months/years trying to come up with something that will resonate with others. The isolation we feel needs to be counteracted by spending time with those having similar experiences. I’m not talking about mental health, although that can be a component. I’m talking about positive professional contact.
Many times, we are so close to our work that obvious problems become invisible to us. It takes an objective view to give us the feedback that will make our work stronger. It wasn’t the instruction in the nuts and bolts of writing classes that was most valuable to me. It was the critiques and reactions of class members and writers’ groups that helped me to craft my narratives, characters, and plot lines. I urge you to find a class or writers’ group. Or both.
Utilize the services of an editor early in your process. A mistake I made was to find an editor after I had come up with what I thought was a relatively final draft. It made rewriting sections of my manuscript difficult, even painful. I had worked so long and gone through so many drafts, I thought I was close to finished. I was wrong. For the follow-up to Shooting at Shadows, I’ll be working with a development editor much earlier in the process, before I’m quite as invested in my novel.
AUTHOR BIO & LINKS:
Forest McMullin is a writer based in Atlanta, Georgia. Earlier in his career, he was a photojournalist who specialized in photographing fringe social groups. Today he writes both long and short form fiction, Shooting at Shadows is his first novel.
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https://bsky.app/forestmcm.bsky.social
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