"A body in the river. A husband under suspicion. And a summer happy place where everyone has something to hide. Who killed Margot Hamilton—and why?" – "The Body in the River."
Nearly 330 pages of twists and unexpected turns means the perfect summer read, by Connor Sullivan, who was born and raised in McDonough County and is educating the next generation of writers (and readers) as an English and journalism teacher at West Prairie High School.
Sullivan recently put the finishing touches on his first novel, which launched July 15 on Amazon. Set in Heapville, a nod to a place close to his heart, his grandparents' cabin in this little burg along the Mississippi River. There's intrigue, treachery, romance, secrets, lies, deceit … and more secrets and lies. In fact, almost everyone in this sleepy little river hamlet has something to hide.
Since its release just last week, Sullivan has already sold over 200 copies and the positive reviews are flooding in with each passing day.
And while he's reveling in the success, and relief, of completing his first book, he's already 20,000 words into book number two, which he plans to release next summer.
Like his first novel, his next one will be filled with tricks, treats and what he likes to call 'Easter eggs,' hidden gems that give readers some foreshadowing and hints, and for some, they'll perhaps recognize themselves, a place or someone – or something – familiar.
For example, one of the 'eggs' in 'The Body in the River' is a character who is named Becky, which was a name Sullivan's great-grandmother loved, and the first two letters of the name Becky are the same letters as one of Sullivan's friends, whose family has a cabin a few doors down from his grandparents.
"This has blown up way bigger than I thought it ever would. I think it's because it has a local aspect, with me being from around here and teaching at a local school, as well as the setting of the river and Heapville," Sullivan contemplated. "It’s really cool getting messages from people who have ordered or read the book. It’s also been so extremely fun seeing the book selfies that people are posting with my book on Facebook."
Sullivan began writing "The Body on the River" on Dec. 3, 2023 (he remembers the exact day), and during winter break that year, he really began digging in, writing whenever inspiration struck, sometimes daily, but, Sullivan said, more realistically, there were weeks where like Charlie in the novel, he stared at a blank page, the cursor blinking and no words forming in his mind. While he began writing the book not quite two years ago, Sullivan said that writing has been a central part of his life, even as a child.
"When I was little, I was always asking my mom for notebooks," he recalled. "I always had a notebook with random writings and the start of stories filling the pages."
When he began contemplating writing a novel, he knew it would be his favorite genre and he also knew he wanted to pay tribute to the place his family has enjoyed for 35 summers. The timing of the book is also bittersweet, as his grandparents, Milt and Tootie Sullivan, are considering selling their river-side cabin.
"This is a way to honor my grandparents and to keep the memories of our time in Heapville alive," Sullivan shared. "I wanted this book to be tied to a real-life place, and because of my love for murder mysteries, such as Agatha Christie novels, I knew it would be a murder mystery."
Sullivan, along with the Colchester District Library, will host a brief discussion, reading and book signing from 2-4 p.m., Sunday, Aug. 3 at the Lion's Den, 207 S. Fulton St., just down the street from the library in Colchester. Copies of the book will be available for purchase at the event.
Sullivan has also been approached by businesses in the region about scheduling upcoming events.
"This was really such a fun book to write. I really like to watch author interviews. I listen to interviews from The Poisoned Pen, a bookstore in Arizona, so I took some elements of what I've heard in interviews, as well as from my favorites, such as Agatha Christie, and I added my own twists,' he said. "Writing this book has also been my escape, my distraction and my wonderland as this has been a sad time because of health issues with my grandparents, selling the cabin and more, and this was a productive way for me to process all the feelings."
In "The Body in the River," one of the main characters, a summer transplant Margot Hamilton, is murdered almost right out of the chute. (Editor's note: Even this interview led to a few 'Easter eggs' in this feature story!) While she might not be a lifelong 'river rat,' her death impacts nearly every character in the book – Ron, the longtime fisherman and his wife Janice, the Martin family, detectives working on the case, the victim's arrogant husband and the list goes on.
"I wanted every character to have a secret, a fear and a want. And even the victim, Margot, continues to have a voice throughout the story as she watches the ripple effect of her death," he added. "I also wanted to put little nods to things and people I know throughout the book, such as the character of Charlie King. She is an author who lives – and writes – at her grandparents' cabin and she pens thrillers, like Stephen King."
Throughout the writing process, Sullivan shared he had bouts of doubt and some lapses in confidence, sometimes asking himself, 'Why am I doing this? Is anyone going to care about this book?' While he started out like gangbusters, the middle part of the book hit the hardest because that's when he began really getting into the characters' little secrets and more intrigue. Once he made it through the rocky middle (Editor's note: Another 'Easter egg!'), the 'twisty' ending came about quickly and wrapped up the story, finally answering the question: 'whodunnit?', while also revealing some most unexpected revelations.
"I put a lot of myself in the book, and when I turned in the manuscript I had a massive panic attack," he pointed out. "It's like laying on a deck and letting the birds just peck at you." In spite of the little voices of uncertainty, as he put it, "yelling in my head," he kept moving forward with the singular goal of writing something that would impress his grandparents. And impress them he has.
"Every morning since the book has been out, I've called my Grandpa Milt to share where I'm at with sales and to schedule our daily story hour," Sullivan said with a laugh.
"He likes to set a number as to what my sales might get each day, almost like gambling."
Not only has he captivated his Grandpa Milt and Grandma Tootie, he has given them something even greater than a book that pays tribute to their lives at their river cabin: more quality time with their grandson. Like clockwork, the couple puts on coffee every day at 4 p.m. and Sullivan joins them to read chapters of the book aloud to two people he adores.
'We have what we call story hour. My grandpa can't read due to his eyesight and my grandma is in year four of cancer treatment so she has a hard time keeping her eyes open, so I go over every day to read aloud to them. My grandpa sits on the edge of his seat just listening and they stop to ask questions,' he wistfully added.
"This book is really sentimental for so many reasons, and while it was fun to write, the next one will be really fun as it's going to be a thank you of sorts to my small community and all the people who have supported me in this journey.
"And I think the next one will be easier as I have more confidence. That voice of doubt is still there, but now it's more of a whisper in the background," Sullivan acknowledged. "I'd love to someday be a full-time author, just cackling like a witch in a 'cave' writing and emerging for a few weeks at a time. But for now, I'll continue teaching. It's a job I've wanted to do since kindergarten and I really enjoy it. I think this book really sets an example for my students and encourages them to chase their dreams. For those who aspire to write, show up for yourself. Sit down and just do it. Believe in yourself, don't give up and give yourself permission to fail. Keep at it.' While his students, friends and family (and friends-ofa- friend-of-a-friend) are rallying around him and his first book, he shared that his grandparents and his mother, Gretchen, are his number one fans. Gretchen was the first reader of the draft that is most similar to the final published version, and the person he most leaned on during the process, and Milt thinks Oprah will be calling him any day.
"I can't thank my mom and my family enough, or my friend, Kirsten, who Facetimed with me for seven hours to copy edit The Body in the River. I had so much support,' Sullivan expressed. "I am feeling more love than I ever imagined I would. I just texted my mom this morning and said 'Wake me up' because I can't believe this is real. It's really cool to say the least."
_______
'The Body in the River' Prologue:
Nothing ever happens at the strip of riverside cabins in Heapville, Illinois. It's the kind of place people call a hidden gem-old fishing boats tied to crooked docks, beer cans in the sand, kids skipping rocks while their parents crank up classic rock underneath raised cabins. Long days on the water. Skin reddened from forgotten sunscreen. Bonfires at night, and making s'mores over a crackling fire. Fireworks over the river on the Fourth of July, the smoke hanging low and sweet in the humid air. Teenagers sneaking drinks and tubing behind an old pontoon boat. Kids daring to take their life jackets off and see who can swim the farthest. The stench of sunbaked fish guts clinging to the air near the makeshift sinks-metal basins crusted with fish skin, where someone hacks away at a catfish with a fillet knife, blood pooling and drawing flies, the stench sticks to their hands even after they've washed. Just another summer on the river.
Nothing ever happens here.
And then it does.
______
Draft Prologue for Book #2
You try to scream. But nothing comes out. Just silence.
Thick and swallowing. Words and sounds stuck in the back of your throat. For a moment, it feels like you’re choking.
But then air returns and all is okay again. But it isn’t okay.
You were only gone a few minutes. Not even a full half-hour. You’d left the house, but stayed in the neighborhood. Walked down the street. Such a lovely evening to be outside. The breeze cool against your flesh. The moon full and white above you.
You can’t stop thinking about how fast it all happened.
And it’s still happening. This nightmare that you fear is real. As real as the blood sprayed everywhere in front of you.
It’s smeared on the marble countertop and streaked on the floor next to the body. Such a shame. A pristine and polished kitchen, with elegant white countertops and natural stone hardwood flooring—stained with ruby-red blood oozing from the body that’s pancaked near the center island. Bile coats your mouth just by the sight of it all.
And the stillness—that heavy waiting period for the first sound to disrupt this horrific scene. You wonder what sound it will be. The police siren, getting louder as it approaches the house? Or maybe it’s going to be that sticky releasing sound your shoes will make when you do finally move—because you stepped in a pool of blood, and you’re thinking it might be best to just burn them and buy new ones. Destroy the evidence. Or perhaps it will be your body hitting the nice hardwood floor because you are feeling awfully dizzy and lightheaded and is it just you or is the room starting to spin— And then, a sickening thought creeps in—quiet and sharp like the blood-coated knife in your hand.
Why do I have a knife in my hand?
*Subject to change slightly (or a lot)!
