Ex-preacher and his cat 

What obsesses you?

Pondering this question while attending a literary program in Portugal is what lit the spark for Nonesuch author Wes Blake’s novella-in-flash, Pineville Trace. 

A novella-in-flash is a form of writing that links a series of short, self-contained narratives sharing theme, characters or setting to form a larger, cohesive story. Typically, chapters are less than 1,000 words, leading to an easy-to-read work. 

In forming the answer to the obsession question, Blake recalled a friend’s great uncle who was a revival preacher and wondered how stories of his authenticity matched up with the fraud allegations that came later. “I wanted to explore and write about a character like this,” Blake explains in an online blog. “And that’s where the main character for Pineville Trace was born.” 

The book centers around Frank Russet, a traveling revival preacher sentenced to a minimum security prison on a fraud conviction. When he escapes with the prison cat, Buffalo, he meanders his way north and back again, introspectively examining his life and place in the world. 

Blake also admits an obsession with cats. It’s no wonder, then, that a cat also found its way into Pineville Trace, serving as a main character in the story with a human-like personality and the ability to wrench emotion from a reader’s heart. 

Frank, too, becomes quite taken with Buffalo, relying on the cat to lead the way as they travel. When questioned about his plans by the folks he encounters, he gives the tongue in cheek response, “I’m just following Buffalo.” 

While Frank spends lengthy chunks of time alone, his grip on reality appears to become slightly unhinged as he drifts among memories, dreams and waking thought. Blake’s writing seamlessly reflects this, with a tragically poetic feel, causing the reader to both care for Frank and be disgusted by his choices at the same time. Blake also deftly uses the book’s cover to subtly convey the mishmash state of Frank’s mental health. 

“The idea for Pineville Trace came to me while I was driving, and I used my phone’s voice recorder to get the idea down before it was lost to me,” Blake recalls. “The strangest part was that right after I recorded my first ideas for the novella, a car like Frank’s black 1959 Buick LeSabre drove past me on that isolated road on Pine Mountain. What are the odds? It was eerie. But it was clear that Frank wanted his story to be told.” 

Pineville Trace, (Etchings Press, $12), can be purchased on Amazon or at local independent bookstores. The book is the winner of the Etchings Press Novella Prize and was a finalist for the Feathered Quills Book Award for Debut Author. 

Blake also readily admits an obsession with trees. To date, he and his wife have planted over 120 trees around their Nonesuch home. Learn more about him at www.wesblake.com.