Kinney's Quarry

 “The Ultimate Buddy Thriller”

Forget lone wolves—Kinney’s Quarry pairs up two “benign sociopaths” who kick ass and swap wisecracks while infiltrating a shadowy agency and dodging betrayal at every turn. From fake assassinations in Princeton to showdowns in California’s wilds, the stakes keep climbing and the dialogue never stops snapping. If you love your thrillers with a side of humor and a tangle of double-crosses, this one’s for you.

Author Verlin Darrow’s background is every bit as colorful as his cast. He’s seen life from every angle—janitor, columnist, spiritual assistant, and now psychotherapist living on California’s coast with his equally insightful wife. His real-world adventures—like being robbed, surviving amnesia, and escaping tornadoes—add layers of authenticity and grit. Want to know more? Visitverlindarrow.com.

Author's Insights:

"Being hard on characters

I enjoy creating characters who are struggling but are able to respond positively when stressful life events conspire to pry them into scary new psychological spaces in order to cope. If you write your character into a corner fraught with danger, it’s interesting to see how he has to grow in order to get through it. I know all about how people change—or don’t—from my work as a psychotherapist. But I never know ahead of time about my characters. I find out along with the reader.

I write from my own experience. Some of us need a whack with a proverbial two by four to clue us in as to how to live a life that works better than one driven by self-centeredness. Others need a 20 megaton bomb dropped on their head—like Kinney and myself.

My review 5 stars

This is a fun, fast-paced action thriller. If Guy Ritchie and John Wick could mash up to create the movie for this book, it would be awesome. The main character is a confident, badass op agent who sees himself as a functional sociopath who can use his lack of emotions and lack of empathy in the service of doing the right thing. He has a partner, and the two of them make the dialogue hilarious.

His bomb is so far outside the bell curve of normal human experience that I get to have fun speculating as to how an assassin would react to his version of a near-death experience. Once I establish a premise like this, however unlikely it might be outside the realm of a book, then I focus on what the real psychological experience would be like. It's non-stop of sharp, sassy answers and scenes. These are characters who recognize that they're flawed in many ways.

Makes a fun, entertaining read. I recommend it for the Summer or vacation time. It's a good one to enjoy a break from the seriousness of daily life with its comedy. Also, I kept smiling the entire time I was reading because of the inspected scenes after scenes.

His bomb is so far outside the bell curve of normal human experience that I get to have fun speculating as to how an assassin would react to his version of a near-death experience. Once I establish a premise like this, however unlikely it might be outside the realm of a book, then I focus on what the real psychological experience would be like.

I have had my share of outside the mainstream experiences—ones where you have to decide whether you’re crazy or everything you thought about the world was dead wrong. It’s confusing, frightening, and all of sudden, with no ground under your feet anymore, overwhelming. How can one live with so much sudden change—so much uncertainty?

Kinney fares far better than most of us would in the series of extraordinary, dangerous circumstances that come his way. For all his quirks and faults, I admire his courage, loyalty, and wit. Don’t get me wrong. I wouldn’t trade places. I don’t need lethal betrayal, convoluted conspiracies, or crazy plot twists in my life. It’s hard enough to write regularly with ordinary life distractions."

On writing:

What is your favorite part of writing your books?

I like the way dialogue and plot flows during a first draft—when the story is still open-ended and anything goes. That is, I’m not beholden to a plan or what I previously wrote that I need to match up to. I never know any more than the reader does as the book progresses. Where will the story end up? How will it get there? (Picture me elaborately shrugging). To me, that’s fun. It’s like solving a puzzle via a creative process. Later, the drudgery appears, but by then I’ve created critical mass—lots of words—so it feels worth it to finish.

How did you do research for your book?

I’m very much a seat of the pants writer. I start with one idea, one character, and one setting. Then I see where it goes, inventing any details that come along. Afterwards, I check to see what I came up with that doesn’t match reality, and I change things. Who was the hardest character to write? The easiest? I struggle with female characters and regret choices I made about them early in my writing career. I was happy with the ones in Kinney’s Quarry. This time, the hardest character to write was the head of the unnamed government agency that Kinney works for since even I wasn’t sure if he was a good guy or a bad guy until the end.

How did you decide on your book’s title?

I like two or three word titles—they stick in my head. I also like phrases that have intriguing subparts. One of my titles is Blood and Wisdom, another is Coattail Karma. So I started off trying to come up with something similar that reflected my latest book’s content. Is Kinney’s Quarry about an adversary or a literal rock quarry? The reader has to do something to find out more, which gives me an opportunity to entice them with more than the title and cover.

What philosophy can you share to help fellow writers ?

Don’t fight reality. It’s bigger than you are and it will win. Be realistic and work within the realm in which you have ownership. Let go of the rest—the outcomes that are beyond your illusion of control. Focus on a good faith process and find a way to cooperate with the way things need to be down the line. As Stephen Batchelor wrote: Anguish emerges from craving for life to be other than it is. I think this especially applies to writers, given the state of our industry. In your book you make a reference to creating a new state.

How did you come up with this idea?

Years ago, I read about the quite real movement to create a new state from the northeastern region of California and parts of Oregon and Idaho. Once I tried to incorporate a similar notion in an abortive thriller about Texas (I was young. It was awful.) The new Western state, promoted since the 1800s, was to be called Jefferson—as I mention in my book.

How did you decide on the book’s cover art?

My publisher made the final call on my cover after I filled out a detailed form about the book. I selected a cover artist whose work I liked, and then sat back and let the pros get to work. In the past, I designed covers myself and talked the publisher into doing it my way. Almost every detailed review of my earlier novels commented that they loved the books and hated the covers. So much for my graphic skills.

Where do you get inspiration for your stories?

They seem to bubble up from my subconscious, actually. As a psychotherapist, and after years of my own therapy, I trust this part of me more than most people do. I might write a detail on page forty-two for no discernible reason, and then, lo and behold, it becomes an important plot point on page two hundred. There are many books out there about....What makes yours different? I think there are few writers who mix humor well with suspense and action. It’s a more common combination in films, manifesting in dialogue and plot. After five traditionally published mysteries and thrillers, I think I’ve got the hang of it.

What advice would you give budding writers?

Write. Primarily, just keep writing. Also, find a way to enjoy the process without focusing on the outcome, which is usually out of your control.

Your book is set in (name place). Have you ever been there?

Most of Kinney’s Quarry is set in the Silicon Valley area—about forty-five minutes south of San Francisco. I live just over a mountain from there, and worked in the valley for quite a while. I did have to research another part of California I’d never been to, relying on stock photos, for the most part.

If you could put yourself as a character in your book, who would you be?

I think I’d invent a new character since I neither kill people, conspire for corrupt purposes, nor try to foil those who do. Maybe I could be the wacky neighbor who pops in to provide relief from the non-stop action.

Do you have another profession besides writing?

Yes, I’m a psychotherapist. I’ve also been a professional volleyball player, a singer/songwriter, a newspaper columnist, a storeowner, a short order cook, a factory worker, a taxi driver, a university instructor, a tech recruiter, a carpenter, and an NCAA coach. The first half of my life was continuity-challenged.

How has your work as a psychotherapist influenced your writing and the books that you write?

In therapy, clients work toward change and I do my best to facilitate this process. I offer wisdom, practical suggestions, compassion, and humor. Some people need psychic glue to keep from falling apart. Some need solvent to loosen up concretized points of view. Others need to reframe the stories they've created about what's happened to them. Some need to release their feelings. It’s the same with characters in a book. If they don’t go through changes, I’m not engaged as a

reader for long. I know how and why people change, and my work is infused with realistic portrayals of these, even as fantastic things happen to my characters.

Is there one particular job or career that stands out to you as the most rewarding or exciting?

Being a therapist has proven to be the most rewarding career/job I’ve ever had. Playing professional volleyball in Italy was certainly the most exciting. As a therapist, I utilize all my hard-earned life experience, insight, professional skills, emotional and spiritual development, and whatever else gets pulled out of me in sessions in service to others. As I’ve aged, a lot of things that used to be important to me have dropped away, leaving helping whoever I can as the remaining worthy activity. After all, we’re truly all in this together.

How long have you been writing?

I wrote my first (hideously bad) novel when I was nineteen because I was trapped by constant rain in a campground outside Naples, Italy. I’ve been writing ever since, for decades now, eventually learning enough the hard way to become published—and win awards (3).

Do you ever get writer’s block? What helps you overcome it?

I think there’s no such thing as writer’s block per se. If one lowers one’s standards and produces drivel in times of creative drought, the flow returns at some point. One could write “I can’t think of anything to write” over and over and I’m convinced that’s better than fighting the phenomenon. For me, I mostly accept a delay in my process since I don’t have to write on a deadline or make my living from it.

Why do you write?

If I don’t, I’m not as happy. Is that a blessing or a curse? Beats me. What is your next project? I’ve finished a mystery set in a spiritual community, narrated by the leader, who tries to help solve two murders. I concocted what I think is a catchy title, which may be vetoed up the line— Warning: Characters In This Mystery Are Closer Than They Appear. This one is idea-laden since I served a similar role years ago before graduating myself and everyone else out of the organization.

What genre do you write and why?

My strengths are plot and dialogue, so I lean toward mysteries and thrillers. I have an ear for language and my trusty subconscious supplies the plot. Also, my seat of the pants approach yields numerous plot twists since I write myself into a corner and then have to concoct something extraordinary to wriggle out of it. Wild plot twists don’t fit into other genres quite the same way.

Tell us about your protagonist.

Kinney is a Black Ops agent who has a near death experience and is no longer willing to kill anyone. He considers himself to be a benign sociopath, using his skill set in the interests of national security. When he is recruited by a shadowy organization to help them assassinate a foreign leader, he goes undercover, gets caught up in a conspiracy, and with his partner Reed, solves a series of mysteries to stay alive. Throughout the book, he finds a way to see the humor in what he encounters, even as he’s kicking butt.

What is the last great book you’ve read?

I love everything Donald E. Westlake has written. Recently, I reread several of his comic crime novels. I recommend the Dortmunder series for newbies.

What is a favorite compliment you have received on your writing?

Here’s a quote from a professional review: "There is no other way to put it, Murder For Liar is an absolute masterpiece. I have never read such a tightly-written, thrill-packed book before in my life. Darrow manages to pack in so much comedy, intelligence, and story development into every paragraph that I found myself pulled in from the very first page.” Here’s another snippet: “I can honestly say I don't know when I've enjoyed a murder mystery more. Between the insightful sarcasm, inside jokes, flat out madcap hilarity and keenly wicked observations, there's literally something to laugh or chuckle about on every page. This is one of those books that you jump into feet first and just enjoy the ride.” (I can’t expect anything more than this.)

How are you similar to or different from your lead character?

Kinney and I share a sense of humor and the ability to sort through who we meet in life. Otherwise, he is much different than me—more of a doer than a thinker. I’m up in my head a lot. If your book were made into a movie, who would star in the leading roles? I like Mark Wahlberg for Kinney’s partner, a slightly dim-witted ladies man (with a remarkable lack of success in that department). I’m stalling because I haven’t come up with an actor for Kinney yet. Keanu Reeves? He’s a nice guy and a big draw at the box office, plus he’s trained as a martial artist.

If your book were made into a movie, what songs would be on the soundtrack?

I’d find a way to work in some of the niche music genres I’m fond of: conjunto, fado, western swing, and highlife, for example. Although they have absolutely no relevance to the plot or characters, I’d do it anyway. People need to hear this stuff. Check them out.

What were the biggest rewards and challenges with writing your book? Finishing the damn thing is always the biggest payoff, no matter what comes next. By the time I’m rewritten and edited as much as I need to, I’m usually ready to move on. The biggest challenge was finding a way to resolve the plot and tie up all the loose ends. A thriller has to have a satisfying, plausible ending, however surprising it might be. In one sentence, what was the road to publishing like? In this sequence: Exciting, frustrating, discouraging, momentarily joyful, back to baseline mood.

Which authors inspired you to write? Donald E. Westlake, Daniel Pinkwater, Thomas Perry, Elmore Leonard, Thomas Berger, and Jonathan Carroll. I read about three books a week as a child, taking on all comers.

What is something you had to cut from your book that you wish you could have kept?

I had to cut several conversations that I thought were funny enough to warrant inclusion, but as my editor said, they didn’t advance the plot or reveal any aspects of the characters in any way. Lulls in the pacing such as these just bog things down.

If people can buy or read one book this week or month, why should it be yours? I don’t think it should. My book is less important and less helpful than many others. On the other hand, if a reader is simply looking for an engrossing, fun book and there’s no “should” involved, all I can say is I LOVE Kinney’s Quarry.