Welcome to our chat with John McNellis, the talented author behind his latest novel Scout's Honor.

Known for his ability to spin engaging tales with unforgettable characters. 

Norm: What inspired you to write Scout’s Honor and delve into the themes of crime, punishment, and redemption?

John: Thank you, Norm. Some years ago, I was too sick to do anything but lie in bed.

To distract myself, I began to fantasize, to daydream, and I began wondering what would happen to a highly principled teenager—a fine young man—if everything suddenly went wrong in his life, if he lost his family, if he ended up homeless.

Was morality only for the well-fed, an unaffordable luxury for the downtrodden?

What would the youth do to recover his place in the world? How far would he go to succeed? If he turned to crime, would he regret it and how would it affect his life? Would the flickering light of his morality be doused altogether or might he overcome his criminal past?

Norm: The novel explores themes of morality, guilt, and trust. How do these themes manifest throughout Eddie's journey, and what message do you hope readers take away from them?

John: A reluctant Eddie is seduced into crime by his vulgarly charming, utterly immoral boyhood friend, the swaggering Roy.

In the beginning, Eddie’s guilt manifests itself in his certainty he will be caught, tried and imprisoned (if not worse) for his crimes, but perhaps like so many of us, he gradually manages to rationalize away his early crimes.

When he commits his greater crime years later, this time without the salve of need, his tormenting guilt turns him into a virtual hermit. 

I’m guessing readers will draw their own messages from the novel. One might be as simple as life can offer a second chance. 

While palpable evidence for it may be scant, I would like to believe in a moral universe, that good is rewarded, bad punished, the scales balanced at day’s end. I hope my readers see this belief in my admittedly flawed characters’ struggles in their lives. And perhaps take some comfort from it. 

 Norm: The novel explores the concept of identity and reinvention. What inspired you to explore these themes, and how do they relate to Eddie's journey?

Norm, that day abed I figured out the beginning and end of Eddie’s epic tale, but years went by before I filled in everything between page 1 and “The End.”

To keep his from being a very short story indeed (John laughs), Eddie had to escape, change his identity and entirely reinvent himself. Rather than thematic, identity and reinvention are to Eddie’s long journey what wheels are to a car. 

Norm: Scout’s Honor captivates readers with its flawed characters. Can you discuss the process of developing these characters and balancing their complexities within the narrative?

John: I think every one of us is flawed. We all have our better days and best moments, but we sometimes fail ourselves, fail to live up to our own moral standards. That’s the heart of the movie Crash.  

I believe it won the best picture academy award because it portrayed real characters, true to life: the cop played by Matt Dillon is despicable one day, a hero the next. 

This may sound odd, but I think it would be harder—for me at least—to create believable characters that were not flawed. Even if I could, flawless characters would be boring, best left to fairy tales and “Lives of the Saints.”

As to my characters, I try to set the table and then let them develop themselves, letting their ambitions and desires surge against their moral bulwarks. 

Norm: Eddie's journey takes him through Mexico and Vietnam before settling in New York City. How did you research and portray these settings, and what significance do they hold in the narrative?

John: I’ve traveled extensively through Mexico, but (John laughs) I’ll admit I’ve never been in a Mexican prison. That required a fair bit of research; one long piece in the Los Angeles Times was particularly helpful for the prison scenes. 

As to Vietnam, I read extensively about that sad war and interviewed several Marines who’d had the combat experience I sought to portray. I know Manhattan well enough that it required very little in the way of research. 

These locations and their unique temptations and challenges provide the testing grounds for Eddie’s character, for better and worse. 

Norm: Eddie's transformation into Richard Austen is a pivotal moment in the novel. Can you discuss the process of developing Eddie's character arc and the challenges he faces during this transformation?

John: I put Eddie into an impossible situation—literally, running for his life—and let him work his way out. Rather than developing his character, I would like to think his transformation occurred organically in response to external events and his own moral compass.

Norm: Roy Cross plays a significant role in Eddie's life. What inspired the creation of his character, and how does he contribute to the novel's themes?

John: Without Lex Luthor, Superman remains Clark Kent; without Roy, Eddie lives an uneventful life in San Diego. I cobbled Roy together—Frankenstein fashion—from acquaintances in my life who were too handsome, too athletic, too popular and charming for their own good.

With no need to strive, they all too often fell from grace, indulging themselves in one high after another. 

Norm: The suspenseful narrative keeps readers engaged until the final page. How did you approach crafting the plot twists and keeping the momentum of the story?

John: By listening to the advice of my editors and personal readers. As the novel went through its numerous drafts, they would unfailingly point out where the drama sagged, where it might be amped up, where a twist might be useful, where too much might have been revealed too early. 

Norm: What is next for John McNellis?

John: I’m working on a novel in which a man rediscovers his humanity through gradually coming to know his wildly unruly dog, learning about himself as he seeks to train her. 

Norm: Where can our readers find out more about you and Scouts Honor?

John:They can Google me, or more specifically, look me up at MY WEBSITE

My two novels—Scout’s Honor, O’Brien’s Law (which you so kindly reviewed)—are described in detail there, as in my non-fiction real estate primer, Making it in Real Estate.

If they wish to know more about my real estate career, they could check out McNellis Partners

Finally, please ask your readers to write me at john@johnmcnellis.com if they do happen to read Scout’s. I would love to hear what they think. Thank you, Norm. 

Follow Here To Read Norm's Review of Scout's Honor