Murder Creek Press

It’s with a great deal of caution that I refer to the great mystery novelist, Dick Francis and my novel OR ELSE…! Mr. Francis forgets more in his sleep in a single night than I’ll ever know about writing fiction.

His track record of New York Times best sellers will forever be unmatched. While we both write about race tracks, there are significant differences. Mr. Francis writes mainly about the “front side” of race tracks. His world is about the best horses, top owners, and their lives, mainly in his beloved England.

My world is life on the “backside” of a small race track and those who fight to survive there. My Boston mobsters, shady FBI agents and flawed local cops have a great deal in common and share a jilted life. They make life threatening decisions, over hundreds and thousands of dollars, not millions.

All racing is about winning races… no matter what the level. Getting one’s photo taken in the winner’s circle is a thrill, no matter at the top level or a local point to point. The lives of those involved are different.

Like other Southern writers, my heroes are flawed. Colin O’Hearn is both weak and strong. He has a drinking problem, and no intention of stopping. He’s too committed to his lifestyle to become a father or a husband. The only woman he ever loved knows this and turns away.

The racing life is both hard and cruel. I hope we show this to the reader in OR ELSE…! Here’s hoping you’ll hang on for a hard ride. Please blog us if you’d have an opinion or comment. The next Colin O’Hearn novel, THE ALMOND MAN is scheduled to be published in the spring of 2009. We hope you’ll join us. Remember, Dick Francis’ spot in the fiction world is written in granite. No one will ever take his place. That’s the way I’d like it to be forever.

I’d just like to borrow a few of his readers for a night or two.  

— Peter D. Tattersall