Photo by Debra Reid
DAILY SPARKS TRIBUNE        

STORY TELLER Real-life incidents give life to Sparks author's new book by Kristin Storey (Tribune staff).

Everyone has a story to tell. Carol Davis Luce doesn't want to tell your story, but she'll borrow from it to develop a new novel.

Those from Nevada will recognize some of the scenes in her fourth book "Night Passage". Those from the Truckee Meadows might recognize some of the stories.

For example, one scene from the book places a character on the top of a parking garage on center street. Unlike the real life ending, the character was saved, but Luce admits the inspiration came from real suicides at a Reno garage.

"I keep clippings from newspapers because I never know when they'll become an inspiration for part of a story," Luce said.

Real life offers inspiration for minor and major roles in Luce's book "Skin Deep" which had beauty contestants scarred by an acid-throwing man. The stories ended up having little in common, but the incident sparked just enough in Luce's imagination to create a story. In the works is a book loosely based on John Ascuaga's Nugget. Luce, a 26-year resident of Sparks, spends much time at the local casino and decided a smaller version would be the perfect setting for a suspense book. Sparks residents will quickly be able to identify Victorian Square and surrounding areas of the casino. Much of the interior work is accurate thanks to consultation with her husband who is a local construction worker and has worked on many of the Nugget expansions.

With no formal writing training, Luce is convinced having a story to tell is all that is needed to complete a book. But completing a book and getting it published are two different things, Luce admits. Her first book went through several rejection letters before she received a letter that inspired her to have someone else read the book before sending it out again. On the advice of an experienced writer, she cut out about seven sub-plots and added more depth to the original story before sending it out again. With the help of an agent, the book was sold within six months.

Now, Zebra Books is publishing her work as fast as she can produce it. Each book is selling better and interest is rising outside the publishing world. A TV production company is looking into "Skin Deep" and her next book is being considered for a major motion picture..

A major motion picture would advance her work and bring back some of her earlier novels, which Luce would enjoy. Currently, only about 10 suspense authors have their full collections kept on the shelves, Luce said. Back orders must be made for other collections. But for the next month, Luce is trying to put any thoughts of a movie deal aside to promote her latest book.

"This is my favorite time of a book," Luce said. Attending book signings and meeting fans is the real reason she writes. "I just want to make people happy," she says.

At this point it's not the money that keeps her going-- a good selling book produced once a year only makes about $25,000, Luce said. Regardless of the money, she plans to keep writing as long as stories continue to develop in her head and she believes those stories will continue to develop as long as she meets new people and learns new things.

"Night Passage" was developed during a trip to Eureka. Her main character Roni, named after one of her three sons, Ron, goes to Eagleton, a small mining town in Nevada, roughly based on Eureka. Roni returns to investigate a mysterious suicide of an old friend. Roni's character, while not based on Luce, experiences some of the same people and attitudes Luce did to hive the book a realistic feel of a Nevada mining town. The Book introduces many prominent people with intertwining lives leaving the reader guessing who was involved with the dead person and why. It isn't until the final pages that the reader begins to discover the true secrets of the town and those who have died in it.

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