Under increasing threat of danger, a young reporter confronts the sinister forces behind the TV station he works for. But while fighting to expose the truth, he uncovers something far more powerful. The truth about himself.
Long before starving castaways voted each other off the island, before phony millionaires wooed beautiful bimbos, before gorgeous coeds ate live cockroaches, there was ‘Trash TV’.Geraldo.A Current Affair.Morton Downey, Jr.And the local news—trying its best to keep up.
1987.Reagan was in the White House.Jim and Tammy Faye were in ‘hot water’.And all three networks aired the live rescue of ‘Baby Jessica’ from a Texas well.In the midst of it all, Stacy Zwardowski—fresh out of college and away from his overprotective mother for the first time—arrives at Channel 8 in Avalon, Oklahoma, to interview for a reporter’s job.But before he can introduce himself, he’s handed a camera, a microphone, and a brutal first-day assignment—an armed madman is shooting people at the local supermarket.
“Welcome to television news!”
In the beginning, he’s seduced by the excitement and fame.But over time, Stacy discovers the cutthroat world behind the glamorous newscasts.The infighting.The luridness.The out-and-out lies.But is Channel 8 any more corrupt than its television counterparts?It’s a question he and his coworkers—Katie Powers, a beautiful reporter who longs to network-anchor; Larry Toole, a power-hungry news director who’d do anything for an exclusive; Dick Wilhelm, a money-grubbing owner with a host of enemies; and Julius Candelle, a talented, young cameraman with dreams of joining Jacques Cousteau—are forced to ask themselves.
As fires rage across Texomaland, Stacy is launched from the seen to the unseen, his gut-wrenching journey one of exposition and self-realization.Braving threats from green-eyed coworkers, crooked cops, deranged Klansmen, and an unknown assailant, Stacy searches tirelessly for the truth.The truth behind a series of arsons.The truth about the people he works with.The truth at the bottom of everything he knows about himself.But is he ready for what he finds?
Excerpt
“Ever use an Ikegami 730?”
Before Stacy could answer, Meeks shot past him, camera in tow.
“Pretty simple,” he called over his shoulder, disappearing in a closet at the end of the hall. By the time Stacy caught up, the man had stuffed a bag to capacity. “Shouldn’t need more than two camera batteries. Gave you an extra for the deck, too.”
“But…” Stacy’s face grew hot. “…I’m here for an interview.”
“Congratulations, kid. You got the job. Now, where’s your car?”
“My car?”
He grabbed a tripod and deck, pushing his way past. “Yeah. I apologize, but I’ve got two reporters out sick and everyone else on assignment.” He lowered his shoulder against the door, sunlight beckoning. “Nearest crew’s in Tishomingo, a good forty-five minutes from here.” Stacy followed him outside. “All our news cars are gone. You’ll have to use your own today.”
As they reached the lot, Stacy scraped to a halt. “Sir.” The news director turned, a look of impatience replacing the one of worry. “I’ve never…I mean, this is my first—”
“I know, kid. But that’s the nature of the beast.” Despite the heat, the first-time reporter shivered. “Which one’s yours?” Stacy pointed to his ’76 Celica. As they loaded equipment, the man spewed instructions. “When you get there, set up the tripod and mount the camera. Deck’s ready to go. Camera needs a battery.” He slammed the trunk. “When you’re ready to roll, just hit the black button.”
It was all happening so fast—too fast. “But…what about a monitor?”
“We don’t use monitors. And your deck only records. There’s no playback, rewind, or fast-forward.”
“Then how do I check footage?”
“You don’t.” He opened the door and shoved him inside. “Take a right out of the lot. It’s a mile down on your left side.”
“What is?”
Meeks looked more nervous than ever. “A shooting. At the Super-K Market.” Stacy gulped, cranking the engine. “And don’t forget to white balance.”
Professional Reviews
Amazon.com
Train in the Distance starts by following Stacy Zwardowski from what he expects to be a job interview to a baptism by fire first day of work for Channel 8 News in Oklahoma. With the news crew spread thin, the news director sends Stacy to cover the story of a shooting at a local grocery store. He sends Stacy with a camera the likes of which he has never used. Stacy gets footage of the end of the standoff with police then races back to the studio to turn in his film. He then has to quickly cobble together a lead story for the noon news after finding out that he botched the film. The pace of the story and Stacy's nervous tension are greatly conveyed in a narration that masterfully balances dialog and narration. The gunman, 'Stormy' Raines comes off as a true cold blooded killer, and the author deftly portrays the fear of the workers and customers in the store prior to their deaths at Stormy's hands.
Publishers Weekly
In the hot Oklahoma summer of 1987, 22-year-old Stacy Zwardowski arrives in the tiny town of Avalon, ready for his first interview for a reporter job with the local TV station. He's hired on the spot, and begins reporting the town's news for the underdog Channel 8 News while beginning work on his long-planned novel and fighting homesickness for his mother back in Portland. When new boss Larry Toole takes over the station, demanding sensationalism and ratings at any cost, Stacy wrestles with his better instincts, distracted as he is by beautiful and ambitious anchorwoman Katie Powers and by his mother's illness. But when buildings around town start mysteriously burning down, and Channel 8 is always magically first on the scene, Stacy starts getting suspicious that Toole is creating his own news. The novel's strength is in its protagonist, a lonely and antisocial young man struggling to find his way in the world.
Amazon.com
This (work) concerns a young man on his way to his first job interview. He arrives a bit dazed after driving for three days from Oregon to Oklahoma to the interview. Elsewhere in town a man is going on an unexplained killing spree in the local supermarket. Rather than the interview he was expecting the young man was hired on the spot, handed unfamiliar equipment and sent out to cover the story. The first chapter ends with him delivering his story on air. The writer has certainly captured my interest. The story starts slow, introducing the main character and establishing the scene but quickly shifts to high gear describing the shootings and the young man covering his first story.
A homonymless man writes shows what it's like to look up the laid he skirts when you’re lying prone(d) to the sidewalk, beer / joint / needle dangling from your hand /lips / arm.
