Behind the Scenes in The Samaritan’s Patient: A Guest Post by Author Chevron Ross

Today I’ve invited another Brave Author to share about their latest release. For those who haven’t heard yet, Brave Authors is a group that launched back in January. We are a group of twelve authors who aren’t afraid to tackle tough, and sometimes taboo, subjects while still maintaining a Christian worldview, and the hope is to connect our books with readers who are looking for a unique mix of grit, reality, and hope.

Today’s author is Chevron Ross, who says of himself:

I recently finished one of Chevron’s previous books, Weapons of Remorse, which cleverly and intricately explores the issue of gun violence and the Second Amendment. I am amazed at how he has woven many different threads together into a cohesive whole, putting flesh and bone on a complex issue and bringing it down to day to day life.

On January 25, Chevron released The Samaritan’s Patient, a YA-appropriate read that addresses teen suicide. Today, he will share the story behind the story:

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This novel might never have been born had I not seen an interview on PBS with two New York Times writers, Megan Twohey and Gabriel Dance, on December 16, 2021.

These reporters did an extensive investigation into a website on which subscribers
discussed committing suicide and shared methods for doing so. Most visitors to the site
were thirty or younger. There were 1.2 million messages. At least forty-five suicides in
multiple countries were linked to the site.

At the time of this broadcast, I had just completed my second novel, The Seven-Day
Resurrection, and was wondering what to do next. The PBS interview was so shocking
that I could not stop thinking about it. What motive could a person have for encouraging strangers to kill themselves? What could one possibly gain from such an endeavor? And what could provoke someone to throw away the gift of life at such a youthful age?

I am amazed and grateful that God would choose someone so ordinary and unaccomplished as myself to do this work. Each novel God has written through me has been a great personal gift, and a reaffirmation that God has a plan for each of us. I pray that The Samaritan’s Patient will be as great a blessing to its readers as it has been to me.

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About the Book:

Teenager Paige Abernathy awakens after a severe beating to find that she suffers from amnesia, and that everyone seems to hate her.

She has only flashes of memory until the night a grieving parent attacks her in her hospital room. Paige then remembers her role as creator of an online group where members talk about ways to commit suicide.

After recovering from the beating, Paige embarks on a journey of penance to atone for a disaster born of good intentions. Her odyssey launches her on a mission of mercy and into new danger.

The Samaritan’s Patient is a thought-provoking novel about navigating the treacherous waters of social media.

Click below for a link to the PBS Newshour broadcast that inspired this book.

Click below for links to a sample chapter from The Samaritan’s Patient, as well as book reviews and purchase options.

Also from Chevron Ross: The Seven Day Resurrection.

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A big “Thank You!” to Chevron for sharing his latest book with us. If you enjoy discovering new authors, reading about my personal writing journey, my travels in Germany, and seeing history from the German perspective (along with occasional diversions into other topics such as mental health, church hurt, and devotionals) you can subscribe to this blog below.