By Mark Ambrogi
Kurt Meyer followed the adage that even fiction writers should write what they know.
His novel “The Salvage Man” was published by River’s Edge Media in September.
“It’s set in Noblesville like my first one (also published by River’s Edge Media),” Meyer said. “That’s simply out of laziness. I live here, and I know the town. My ideas obviously come from my experiences here.”
Meyer, 55, who grew up in Tipton, has lived in Noblesville for 28 years. Meyer is a sales associate for the F.C. Tucker Co. He has been a realtor for 22 years and previously was a teacher at Shenandoah High School in Henry County.
“I specialize in selling historic homes,” said Meyer, who lives in a restored Victorian-era home in downtown Noblesville.
Meyer said when he was restoring his first house on Cherry Street, he did some salvaging of old houses.
“Just to find the pieces and parts I needed to put the house back together a la the 1890s,” Meyer said. “The are a lot of interesting experiences in old houses and at the same time I was watching Noblesville go through a lot of changes. The idea for (the book) flowed out of that.”
Meyer said the main character is taking 150-year-old architectural elements from an old house when he encounters a woman living in an abandoned house.
“It’s what happens between them,” Meyer said. “It’s people whose lives are in limbo and need to find a way to move on. The process of the undoing of that house becomes the motivation for them to make a change in their lives. It’s kind of a story of redemption, a couple of lost souls who feel invisible in a place where they both ought to really matter. They are trying to make themselves purposeful again.”
Meyer wrote most of the “The Savage Man” 10 years ago but said he decided to dust it off after River’s Edge Media published his last book, “Noblesville.”
“I had a chance to work with a professional editor, which is a rewarding experience to work with a talented, smart person who knows how to polish a story and help you see the weaknesses in your work,” Meyer said. “I think that intimidates and insults some writers, but I love it. The suggestions I was given made it a better story. As writers sometimes, we get a little self-indulgent. We’re writing about things we’re excited about personally and sometimes we need someone to look over our shoulder and say if you want other people to enjoy this you might do a little bit less of this and little bit more of that.”
Meyer’s novel “Noblesville,” published in August 2014, is a historical fiction book on things that actually happened in Noblesville in 1893.
Both books are available at amazon.com and riversedgemedia.com and The Wild Bookstore, 884 Logan St. Meyer’s blog is thehoosiercontrarian.blogspot.com.
