By By KEVIN SCOTT CUTLER
Lifestyles & Features Editor
A lifelong love of books and writing has led a Washington resident to publish his first crime novel, a book with a unique twist.
Wyatt Harvey is the author of “Blood Rains,” the first in what he intends to be a series of books featuring private detective Mick Priest.
“I’ve been interested in fiction since I was in my early teens, and English was always my favorite subject,” Harvey said. “I’ve always written, and I always wanted to do it professionally, always wanted to be published.”
Harvey was quick to give thanks to a higher being.
“I really give God the credit,” he said. “Whenever I focus that way, it has been easier for me to write. Finding my faith and finding my place brought everything in my life into focus.”
Harvey began work on “Blood Rains” in 2006, after a vacation trip to Wilmington inspired him to write a novel set in that coastal city.
“My wife and I visited Wilmington several times, and we fell in love with the city,” Harvey said. “It’s just such a beautiful place.”
Born in Atlantic Beach, Harvey moved to Beaufort County with his family at the age of 13. He’s a graduate of the former Chocowinity High School, Class of 1989.
“Blood Rains” is his first big effort in the writing field; unlike other authors, he didn’t start with short stories, although he has had some of his poetry published in what he called “small-time magazines.”
In “Blood Rains,” Priest is a private detective with an unusual talent — he can see and hear dead people. One night, in a dream, a woman appears to him claiming to be the victim of a serial killer. A phone call from a colleague confirms that the body of a woman has been found. Priest joins local police in searching for the killer before he can strike again.
A publicity release about “Blood Rains” promises the reader “an ingenious and satisfying” surprise ending.
Despite the title and subject of the book, Harvey vows that “Blood Rains” follows guidelines set down by his Christian faith.
“Yes, it’s a crime novel, but it shares a message, too,” he said. “So many of what we call heroes today are just one or two steps above the villain, like the lessor of two evils. But my hero tries to stay on the straight and narrow.”
So, he said, Christian readers will be comfortable with the book.
“There’s no profanity,” Harvey said. “There is violent content in that it is a crime novel, but the motive and the morals that are portrayed are positive. Instead of shocking the world, maybe this softens the world.”
Harvey hopes to schedule local book signings, and he said he’s willing to speak to local clubs and organizations.
And he’s already at work on his second Nick Priest book. That one, which he’s calling “Pirate’s Moon,” is based in Bath. He expects that manuscript to be ready for publication in a year or so.
When he isn’t busy writing into the wee hours of the night, Harvey and his wife, Tara, operate Double H Stables, a year-round Christian camp for children. They are also active members of Union Chapel Original Free Will Baptist Church in Plymouth.
“Blood Rains” is available through Amazon.com and Buy.com. It may be purchased direct from the publisher by visiting www.eloquentbooks.com/Blood Rains-AMickPriestNovel.html. Harvey can be contacted via e-mail at ghostrevolver@outgun.com.