The Least Significant – Book Excerpt

Happy Thursday, friend! Welcome to an interview with engineer, author Ron Corriveau about his science fiction novel, The Least Significant. This story emerged from a bedtime discussion with his youngest daughter. Let’s chat with Ron and learn more.

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Get to know the author: Ron Corriveau

Hi Ron! Welcome to Armed with A Book. Tell me and my readers a bit about yourself!

Hello! I grew up and went to school in Southern California, but I moved to Dallas, Texas long ago. I wish I could tell you that I am an accomplished writer, but I’m just an electrical engineer who designs integrated circuits. I wrote my first book ten years ago for my daughters, so they had a young adult book that featured women in roles traditionally written for men. I found that I liked the feeling of writing, so I kept at it. This book is my third book and my first ‘adult’ book. By adult book, I mean it features adults, not teenagers. I would be too embarrassed to write anything steamy.

What inspired you to write this book?

After reading a bedtime story to my younger daughter one night, it prompted a discussion of our existence on this planet and its meaning. There were many questions and few answers. The discussion stuck with me and I thought about it on my daily walk at lunch. As I did, I slowly formulated a story that offered one version of all the answers.

How long did it take you to write this book, from the first idea to the last edit?

As I come from the left-brained crowd, writing is not easy for me. Therefore, I take it very slowly and generally write at most just a page per day. I found that if I try to write more than that, I feel I cannot come up with good ideas. The time away makes things fresh when I begin again. And, writing at such a glacial pace, I can think deeply about what I’m writing about on my daily walks. This book took about a year and a half from the first idea to completion.

What makes your story unique?

This book is nothing if not unique. So much so, that I have a hard time finding a genre to place it in. It has elements of speculative fiction and first-contact science fiction, but it also has a background romantic element as the love two characters feel for each other drives their passion for being reunited. In addition, it is some part thriller and there are theological questions that are posed.

Who would enjoy reading your book? 

Ultimately, it would appeal to a science fiction audience. But only in the general sense as it has characters that are aliens. However, the aliens in this case are not the flying-saucer types trying to take over Earth with ray guns. On the contrary. The aliens are trying to hide and are doing their best to blend in to a contemporary setting. The only way they let on they are different is the extra powers that they use on occasion. 

Did you bring any of your experiences into this book?

I cheat in all three of my books by having them set in Dallas. That makes it easier to write scenes as I can describe places and things I know. I also freely use personal experiences whenever it makes sense as a part of the story. For example, when the character Harry describes how he met his wife, it is almost exactly how my dad and mom met. In another scene, when a character has a skydiving accident where his parachute does not open, that exact scene happened to me.

What’s something you hope readers would take away from it?

While the book has some deep discussions about where we all fit in the grand scheme of things, my only hope is that people come away thinking they have read a good story. I promise it won’t let you down.

Do you have a favourite quote or scene in the book that you find yourself going back to?

It’s hard to pick a favourite, but I do have an amusing story about a quote that is in the book. While I was about halfway through writing, a song came on Pandora by the band Garbage. I had been a fan in years past but had lost touch. The song playing was called Run Baby Run and was new to me. I liked it a lot, especially the lyric “Run from the noisy scream of a loaded gun.” I thought that would be perfect for one of the characters in the first chapter to say as they died of a gunshot wound. That sounds weird, but you’ll have to trust me. Later, when I looked up the lyrics to make sure I got the exact quote, I found out the real lyric was “Run from the noise of the street and the loaded gun.” I was way off. Ultimately, I liked the metaphor of being wary of a screaming gun, so I went with my version. You can check out how I used it as it is part of the excerpt below.

What is something you have learned on your author journey so far?

That writing is a lot harder than it looks. I envy people who can sit down and write quality content page after page without stopping. Fortunately for me, I discovered early my limitation that I just wasn’t able to maintain the creative flow for very long. But that’s okay. I write for enjoyment, so I am content to have my writing take as long as it needs.

Where can readers find you on the Internet?

Goodreads

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Book Excerpt from
The Least Significant

Context: Catherine and Marcus are leaving the restaurant where they have just become engaged and they decide to go for a walk in a park down the street.

“Okay, so the park is which way?” Marcus asked, looking both ways down the street.

“That way,” she said, pointing. “It’s on the other side of the symphony hall.

“You’re sure?” Marcus asked.

“Yes,” Catherine said. “There was a map to it the article.”

Marcus took her hand, and they began the walk toward the park.

“Why do they call it Evans Art Park?” he asked.

“It was named after Herbert Evans,” she said. “Of Evans Sausage.”

“The guy from TV?” Marcus asked, breaking into a bad impression. “Evans sausage is good sausage.”

“That’s the one,” Catherine said. “He had a bunch of large modern art pieces scattered around outside on his ranch that he’d been collecting since the sixties. Most of them by famous artists. He donated all of them to the city to put in a park for everyone.”

“I didn’t realize sausage was so lucrative,” Marcus said.

“It is if you’re the owner,” she said, “He got a ton of money when he sold his company a few years ago to a big sausage conglomerate.”

“Big sausage?” Marcus asked.

“Careful,” Catherine said. “This is a family show.”

Marcus looked confused and then smiled as he got the joke.

“It’s a good thing your friend Jack’s not here,” she said.  “We’d be hearing ‘big sausage’ jokes for the next hour.

“Why do you call him ‘my’ friend?” Marcus asked. “You’ve known him for several years now.”

“Look,” she said, drawing a deep breath. “I know Jack’s your friend, but he gets on my nerves.”

“Umm …,” Marcus mumbled.

 Catherine continued. “Don’t you know people you just don’t like? You don’t know why, but it seems everything they do annoys you.”

“I suppose,” he said.

“That’s Jack,” she said.

“I’ve known him since elementary school,” Marcus said.

“That’s what’s weird,” Catherine said. “He followed you to college. He followed you to your first job after college, and now he followed you to this job. It’s like he’s stalking you.”

“I asked him to come to this company,” Jack said.

“This is the kind of stuff you hear on the news,” Catherine said. “Jealous man kills best friend, fiancé, self.”

“He’s not going to kill us,” Marcus said. “Self, maybe.”

Catherine stared at him, then after a few moments of silence. “I have to find a restroom.”

“Do you want to go back to the restaurant?” he asked.

“No,” she said. “I can see a restroom over at the edge of the park.”

“I thought you didn’t like to use public bathrooms,” Marcus said.

“I don’t,” Catherine said, “but I gotta go now. I’ll hover.”

“Hover?” he asked as he followed her across the street.

It came to him as she stepped up on the sidewalk and into the doorway of the restroom. He stood at the curb, directly in front of the bathroom door, looking out into the street while discreetly listening for any trouble. Marcus could tell by the sounds from inside the restroom that there was a line.

“This is going to take a while,” he said.

Marcus began to look up and down the street for any perceived threats. He searched the sidewalk on his right. Nothing. To his left, a woman walked toward him with a dog on a leash. As she came nearer, he could see she was beautiful and was dressed as though she’d spent the night out at a club.

“Nice night for a walk,” Marcus said as the woman approached.

“We don’t get many here,” she said, smiling.

The dog stopped and gave Marcus the once over. He ignored the dog’s sniffing and looked up at the woman’s face, trying not to let his eyes dawdle on her ample cleavage. It was like an eye magnet.

“Do I know you?” Marcus asked.

“Pretty smooth line,” the woman said.

“No, no,” he said sheepishly. “I’m not trying a line. In fact, I just became engaged tonight.

“Is that so,” the woman said. “Congratulations.”

“Thank you,” he said.

“Where’s your fiancé?” the woman asked.

“Bathroom,” he said, pointing behind him.

Marcus bent down and scratched the dog on the head.

“I’ve never seen a dog like this,” Marcus said. “What kind is it?”

“It’s a Bergamasco,” she said. “A breed of sheepdog.”

“I think I had a rug that looked like this once,” Marcus said, stroking the dog’s coat.

“That’s the signature of the Bergamasco,” the woman said. “It has three different textures of hair. It’s what makes it clump together. You’ve no idea how long it takes to get Barkley here looking this good.”

“I’ll bet,” Marcus said, standing up. “Do you-”

The screeching of tires pierced the air as a car pulled up and stopped abruptly right beside Marcus and the woman. A man got out of the car and walked quickly toward them.

“So this is him!” the man yelled as he pointed at Marcus.

“Um … him?” Marcus asked.

“Don’t treat me like I’m stupid,” the man said. “I read your emails to her. There was one tonight that said you were meeting her here at the park.”

“I don’t know this man,” the woman said.

“Don’t lie to me,” the man yelled.

“I’m not lying,” the woman yelled back.

The man stepped forward and swung his arm toward the woman. His hand struck her across the cheek, sending her reeling backward. The dog lunged at him, but the man’s foot connected with the side of its head. The dog flew into the street before it got up and scrambled into nearby bushes. Marcus rushed to the woman and grabbed her before she fell down.

“What’s your problem?” Marcus yelled back at the man.

“You’re my problem,” the man said, stepping forward.

Marcus helped the woman sit down at the curb and returned to stand directly in front of the man.

“Why don’t you just get out of here,” Marcus said.

“You gonna make me?” the man said.

“What, are you in third grade?” Marcus asked.

The man stepped to the side of Marcus, trying to go around him to get to the woman. Marcus stepped into his path and blocked him.

“Get out of my way,” the man said.

Marcus placed a hand on the man’s shoulder. “If you take one more step toward her, I’m going to kick your ass. Third-grade style.”

The man stepped back quickly and launched a fist at Marcus’ face. He easily ducked the punch and returned his own directly into the man’s midsection. The man staggered back and fell to his knees.

“Seriously, dude, just leave,” Marcus said.

Still dazed, the woman got to her feet, wandered past Marcus, and stood over the man.

“I just don’t love you anymore,” the woman said.

The man got a blank look on his face as if he were replaying their entire relationship in his head. When he realized it was over, anger consumed him.

“That’s it!” he said, standing up.

The man reached into his pocket and pulled out a small handgun. He raised it up and pointed it directly at the woman. Marcus grabbed her and pulled her to the side just as the man fired. The blast hit Marcus in the chest. He let go of the woman and fell to the ground.

“Look what you’ve done!” the woman shouted.

He looked at the woman, then down at Marcus.

“I … I … don’t know,” the man said nervously.

Suddenly, he turned and ran to his car. The woman screamed at him as he got in and drove down the street. 

“Marcus?” Catherine asked as she exited the bathroom. “I heard a loud noise out here.”

As she stood in the doorway, she spotted the woman standing in front of her on the sidewalk. The woman looked back at her, smiled, and then she turned and ran down the street. Catherine looked down and saw Marcus sprawled out in front of her with his feet in the street.

“Marcus!” she said as she ran to him.

She got down on the ground and lifted his head up onto her chest.

“You’re bleeding!” she yelled as she looked at his midsection.

He rolled his eyes toward her face. “Jealous boyfriend. Shot. Woman over there.”

He pointed feebly toward the area where the woman had been standing.

“Hold on, baby,” Catherine said. “I’m calling for help.”

She pulled out her phone and quickly dialed 911.

“9-1-1 dispatch. What is your emergency?” the voice on the phone said.

“My boyfriend … fiancé, has been shot,” she cried into the phone.

“We have you at Main and Akard?” the dispatcher asked. “Is that correct?”

She looked furiously back and forth across the street for a sign. “I don’t know. We’re at the edge of Evans Art Park. Please, just come.”

“I have your location,” the dispatcher said. “An EMT is en route. Please stay on the line. Is your fiancé conscious?”

“Honey, are you conscious?” Catherine asked softly.

Marcus raised up a little, turned toward her, and looked directly into her eyes.

“Yes,” he said.

Catherine looked at his face. His deep blue eyes stared back at her. Then, slowly, his face began to change. A few sparkles of light danced across his cheeks. He continued to stare at her, and more sparkles filled his cheeks until his whole face was shimmering.

“Marcus, you’re scaring me?” Catherine asked.

“Don’t be afraid,” Marcus said as he grabbed her hand.

She looked down, and his hand was shimmering too.

“Run from the noisy scream of a loaded gun,” Marcus said.

Catherine smiled as she recognized the words as the last line of her favorite poem. 

“I thought you hated that poem,” she said.

Marcus leaned forward and put his face directly in front of hers. Then, he closed his eyes, leaned forward, and kissed her gently on the lips. He leaned back and looked her straight in the eyes again.

“I love you,” Marcus said.

“I love you,” Catherine said.

As she stared at him, Catherine began to see that the sparkles were fading. As they did, she could see less detail in his face. As more faded, she was able to see through his face. Unable to speak, Catherine watched helplessly as the sparkles completely vanished, and the clothes Marcus was wearing fell into an empty clump in her lap.

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Interested?

Find The Least Significant on Amazon and Goodreads

Thanks for taking the time to join us for this interview!

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