Deadly Vision
Rick Reed
ISBN: 9781932300963
Quest Books
Reviewed By Renee Washburn
Official Apex Reviews Rating: 
Summitville
is the typical All-American small town: a hard-working populace, local
diner with great burgers & fries, friendly faces on every street.
That's why it surprises everyone when local youth begin to disappear
without a trace; the sudden emergence of an evil presence among them
quickly alarms the unsuspecting townfolk and disrupts the burg's
overall sense of calm and peace.
One of those unsuspecting folk:
Cass D'Angelo, diligent single mother struggling to provide for her
seven year-old son, Max. When Max wanders away from home one night,
Cass ventures out to retrieve him, but the sudden onset of a raging
thunderstorm soon lands her in the hospital – thanks to a blow to the
head from a tree branch struck by lightning, rendering her unconscious.
When she awakens, Cass becomes aware of a new gift: the ability to
receive visions of people, places, and things, combined to form deadly
scenarios of what could be.
Shortly thereafter, her visions
begin to assist in the discovery of the whereabouts of the abducted
children; however, when her newfound ability draws the unwanted
attention of the sinister parties responsible for the abductions, Cass
is left to wonder if the visions are less a blessing and more a curse –
especially when they ultimately endanger both her and Max's lives.
A superb storyteller of suspenseful tales, Rick Reed delivers again with Deadly Vision.
In what has become his signature, unique style, Reed presents a
fast-paced, action-packed page-turner, and even manages to poke subtle
fun at small-town politics along the way. Interweaving drama, wit, and
intrigue, Deadly Vision is an entertaining read from a proven scribe with increasingly impressive literary credentials.
An engaging tome, Deadly Vision will surely satisfy Reed's expansive base of readers, and is likely to add quite a few more names to the bunch.
Official Apex Reviews Rating: Rick Reed (Deadly Vision)
Apex Reviews: Rick, thanks for joining us for this interview. We're looking very much forward to learning more about your book.
Rick Reed: Thanks! And I look forward to telling you more about it, on and on, until you beg me to please shut up.
AR: Your stories are always imaginative and innovative. Where do you get your ideas from?
RR: Did you know this is probably the question writers get asked most? Me, I just go to www.greatbookideas.com and, for $9.99, get all the plotlines and characters I need. Just kidding. Ideas actually come from all over: dreams, a news item, a memorable person, and that wonderful question, "What would happen if..." I like exploring the dark side of human nature and finding out what we all have in common, good or bad.
AR: Likewise, your literary voice is very distinct and unique. How long did it take you to finally develop your own signature writing style?
RR: Since I wrote my first short story when I was about six years old and haven't really ever stopped, I suppose developing my voice has been a nearly lifelong process. The trick is to relax and trust in the voice and my instincts enough to let the magic happen. It's not always easy to let go and trust in your own creative process without trying to force it. But I've found that my best work, and best voice, comes from NOT trying too hard, but in letting myself go, trusting in my instincts and letting my characters tell me what they want to do and say. And then I just write it down.
AR: You are quite the prolific author. Did it take you long to craft Deadly Vision?
RR: Different books take different amounts of time, depending on a lot of factors: some as simple as life circumstances that allow you the time you need to write (or not) to as complex as being "ready" to write a particular story. Some books go as fast as two or three months. Others take much longer. Deadly Vision fell somewhere in the middle. I wrote about 400 pages of a first draft years ago, got stuck, and put it aside. When I returned to it a year or so ago, I ripped it apart and then wrote the book you read in probably a matter of six months or fewer. This is what I mean when I say you have to be "ready" to tell a particular story. I wasn't ready when I took my first crack at it. And...I only know things like this in retrospect.
AR: Do you personally believe in the power of genuine psychic abilities?
RR: I do believe there is a lot more going on with the human mind than we even realize. I think we all have abilities and areas of intelligence that go untapped, huge uncharted areas. And yes, I do believe some people are more tuned into those areas than others.
AR: Our reviewer noted that Deadly Vision is an action-packed, engaging read. What other kinds of reactions have you gotten to the book thus far?
RR: So far, so good. Everyone who has read or reviewed it has loved it and all have had the same response: that it's almost impossible to put down. For a writer of suspense, hearing something like, "I stayed up all night to finish it" is the big payoff.
AR: In your books, you're never afraid to take jabs at conventional wisdom or traditional mores. Have you always been such the iconoclast?
RR: Me? An iconoclast? Remind me to add that to me resume. Earlier, I talked about waiting for my characters to tell me what they want to do or say and, really, any jabs come from them. It sounds nuts, but these people are as real to me when I'm writing about them as people I actually know. Often, their jabs, words, and actions are as much of a surprise to me as they are to the reader.
AR: You seem to have quite a fruitful relationship with your publisher, Quest Books. Would you recommend them to aspiring authors searching for a publishing home?
RR: Quest is an imprint of Regal Crest Enterprises, LLC. They strictly publish gay and lesbian fiction, so, if your work is geared toward that, they are a wonderful publisher to work with. They have great cover designers and their editors are ruthless, which is a good thing. They are also open to unagented submissions, so they are a good place for an aspiring author to start, provided his or her work fits what they are looking for.
AR: How can people get in touch with you or learn more about your writings and other efforts?
RR: They can visit my website at www.rickrreed.com or my MySpace presence at www.myspace.com/rickrreed. Make sure you include my middle R in those URLs! That's something people often forget. At either of those places, you can find out more about me than you probably ever wanted to know.
AR: Any final thoughts you'd like to share with our readers?
RR: Watch for my other releases this year, especially High Risk, a straight suspense novel coming out in February from Amber Quill Press. It's another page-turner about a bored housewife who engages in anonymous daytime sex when her husband is gone at work...and the very handsome--and psychotic--stranger she has the misfortune to meet. Oh yeah...and make sure to vote!
AR: Thanks again, Rick, and best of continued success to you in all your endeavors!
RR: Thank you...I appreciate the thoughtful questions.