Local author pens 'on the road novel'

The story starts out with the main character standing on the side of the highway thumbing a ride. The rest of the book is a look into the journey this young man takes as he struggles with life on the road.

The book, "… And Thursday’s Child…" is local Williams resident Bob Moore’s fifth book but his first novel.

"It started as a short story and 722 pages later it was a novel," he said.

The book was released in early October and is the first in a trilogy.

"The second book is done," Moore said. "It’s in proofreading right now."

If the first book sells well, the second book is tentatively scheduled for release next year.

"It’s mainstream fiction," Moore said about the novel. "It’s about a young guy who grows up on the road — he’s had a pretty bad life."

The book starts in Phoenix during 1961 and travels around American highways to places like Boise and Portland. On the road is where he learns "life consists of cops, jails and people who want only to take advantage of him. And there are the women — those who love him, those who want him and those who frighten him."

The book is like nothing else, Moore said.

"The character doesn’t have a name and it’s written in first person," he said. "It was a son-of-a-gun to write.

"So far the response has been very positive — I’ve been pleased with that."

"… And Thursday’s Child…" also doesn’t avoid touchy subjects, Moore said.

"It touches upon some sensitive issues like child abuse," he said.

Like an open window, the novel allows the reader a peek into the life of Moore.

"You write from personal experience — particularly first novels," he said.

A big influence on Moore’s life is his father.

"He just liked to travel," he said. "My dad was one of those guys where the ride is to get from place to place.

"For me the ride is the journey. The destination is just a place to turn around."

The novel took Moore five years to write. He said he first began writing in college.

"When I was at Cambridge, I had this delightful exposition English teacher — that was back in the ’60s," Moore said. "She said, ‘You have to write — you have so much to say.’"

When he completed his first book, Moore sent the teacher a copy.

Moore’s other works include publishing and founding The Mother Road Journal, the first periodical devoted to the world of Route 66, "Craps with Confidence," "Zenith Trans-Oceanic — The Radio Powered to Tune the World," and the best-selling "Route 66 — The Illustrated Guidebook to the Mother Road."

Moore is the managing editor for the Route 66 Magazine and operations manager for Williams’ KRTE-FM, "The voice of Route 66."

Currently, the book is available at the Route 66 Magazine and Gift Shop and an electronic version is available for downloading from 1stBooks.com.