WESTERLY — The official book launch for Deborah Goodrich Royce’s most recent novel “Best Boy” has been postponed until April due to the impending storm
The new date for the debut of “Best Boy” — a gripping psychological thriller that explores identity, memory, and the dangerous power of forgetting — will take place at The United on Sunday, April 12.
In a recent phone interview, Royce said the inspiration — and the name — for her fourth book, said Royce on the phone one morning last week, came in the form of an email she received a few years ago.
“It said, ‘Hi, remember me? I was your best boy on ‘Survival Game,'” said Royce, a former actress who had a role in the 1987 film.
“I didn’t remember him,” she said, explaining that the electrician on a movie set is called a best boy. “But he went on to share touch points.”
“Then, he asked me if I remembered when we bumped into one another at the Cannes Film Festival,” she went on.
“Then,” Royce continued with a dramatic pause, he said, “You were standing outside, holding a baby, and waving at me and I wondered for a moment if the child was mine.”
“Finally he said, ‘but I knew it wasn’t possible,'” she added with a sigh.
“Well, that was a relief,” she said with a laugh, “but it got me thinking about brief encounters and memory and how one person remembers one thing one way and others another way. Sometimes you wonder who’s paying attention.”
“So, that was the inspiration,” she said. “A very real story and a very real guy.”
There are multiple themes in “Best Boy,” Royce said, as there are in all her books, and there are many layers.
Essentially, said Royce, author also of “Finding Mrs. Ford,” “Ruby Falls,” and “Reef Road,” her new book tells the story of a woman who re-invents herself.
As a little girl growing up in Detroit, young Ingrid loved making shadow boxes and living in a world she could control.
Later, as Viveca Stevenson she is living a seemingly perfect suburban life with a handsome and successful husband, an adorable 10-year-old son and a solid group of girlfriends.
Until one day when a threatening letter arrives — from a man she does not remember— that “cracks open a part of her past she thought was buried for good.”
A terrifying chain of events is set in motion, forcing Viveca to confront what happened on a shattering Halloween night in high school when she had a different name, a different face, a different voice. Who is the man contacting her now and was he really the best boy on her most famous film, Misty? Why can’t she remember him—or that night?
“Oh Viveca has the most adorable son named Theo,” Royce said, “and a fabulous best friend.”
“She’s big, she’s loud, she wears too much jewelry and she’s wonderful,” said Royce with a laugh as she went on to discuss her characters and her new book.
“I love this book,” she said. “It’s a book I am eager to talk about.
Noted Rhode Island writer Ann Hood loves “Best Boy” too and calls it a “delicious read.”
Westerly’s own Christa Carmen calls the book “a gripping psychological thrill ride,” and well-known Connecticut author Luanne Rice says it’s “electric” and includes a scene that “plays out like a Hitchcockian funhouse.”
Royce, who writes the quarterly “Hey Rhody” reading recommendation column, will be in conversation with Robin Kall, a well-known, Providence-based book podcaster and host of the popular “Reading With Robin.”
“She’s a wonderful interviewer,” said Royce who encourages readers to visit her website where they can find all sorts of information, including information about her Ocean House Author Series, and her “Book Club Kits.”
Since the Feb. 22 event is the official launch event for “Best Boy,” ticketholders will have exclusive access to the book two days before the publication date, according to Lindsay Makowicki Kappel, the event manager at Martin House Books which is cosponsoring the event with The United.
There is one $36 ticketing option for the event which includes a book. Additional copies of “Best Boy” will be available for purchase, along with Royce’s other books. Royce will be signing and personalizing any books purchased either with a ticket or at the event.
