With new book in stores, author Koryta eyes TV future

Author Michael Koryta said he views Hollywood adaptations of his work as “cross your fingers but don’t hold your breath” propositions.

Companies have paid for film and/or TV rights for nine of the Bloomington resident’s novels, yet no story has made it to a screen.

That statistic means little in relation to Koryta’s day job as a thriving novelist. He’s landed on the New York Times Best Sellers list (with 2012’s “The Prophet”) and his latest thriller, “Last Words,” arrived in stores this week.

Koryta will read from “Last Words” and sign copies of the book at 7 p.m. Aug. 20 at Barnes & Noble in Carmel.

Stephen King, who has characterized 32-year-old Koryta as “a master,” tweeted his feelings about “Last Words” on Aug. 16: “On the subject of great summer reads: LAST WORDS, by Michael Koryta. You can’t put this baby down.”

Meanwhile, Koryta has reason to be cautiously optimistic for a TV breakthrough.

Actor Channing Tatum, star of two “Magic Mike” and two “21 Jump Street” movies, is attached to portray a lead character in an adaptation of “The Prophet” that’s being developed as a mini-series for premium cable TV.

“Obviously, Tatum is just on an amazing trajectory right now,” Koryta said during a phone interview.

And Koryta books “Those Who Wish Me Dead” (2014) and “The Cypress House” (2010) are being actively developed as feature films, the author said.

Perhaps surprisingly, Koryta said he’s not selling adaptation rights for “Last Words.” Lead character Markus Novak, an investigator for defense-attorney firm Innocence Inc., will return for more stories — as soon as the book Koryta has planned for 2016, “Echoes.”

“I didn’t want to turn over the character rights while I’m still working with him,” Koryta.

Subterranean story: A major part of the “Last Words” plot centers on a teenage girl who disappears in cave in Southern Indiana. Koryta said he’s explored caves near Bloomington for years. “To me, as a kid, it was like, ‘Everything that hasn’t been found already requires being an astronaut or a deep-sea diver,’ ” he said. “The idea that there were still people in our general area locating new and in some cases really spectacular things in caves was always pretty interesting to me.” Koryta said he believes Southern Indiana’s landscape is an overlooked gem. “It’s gorgeous and it plays well with some of the dueling-banjos type of tension that I want to build,” he said. “I had all of that waiting there for me.”

Indiana influence: Two female IU students, Jill Behrman and Lauren Spierer, generated headlines when they disappeared in 2000 and 2011, respectively. Berhrman’s remains were found in 2003 and John R. Myers was convicted of killing her in 2006. The fate of Spierer remains unknown. Koryta said these cases, particularly Berhman’s, likely affect his work on a subconscious level. He adds that there’s a difference between a disappearance in Bloomington and one in Los Angeles or New York City. “These stories stay on the collective mind of a smaller community in a different way,” he said. “I’ve written about that without necessarily intending to.”

Looking ahead: Koryta is billing “Last Words” as the first in a series of books featuring primary character Novak. Earlier in his career, Koryta wrote three books based on fictional private investigator Lincoln Perry. Koryta said he knows of “two major tasks” Novak will tackle after “Last Words,” but he doesn’t make master plans for stories. “I’m the type of writer who literally does not know what’s going to happen in the book,” he said. “I understand the character, I understand the setting and I understand the initial problem. But as a general rule, I see about two or three chapters out in front of me.”

Newsroom mentor: Koryta worked at the Bloomington Herald-Times newspaper from the age of 15 until his graduation from Indiana University in 2006. Beginning as an intern, he had a weekly column when he left the paper. Koryta refers to Bob Hammel, known as the Herald-Times sportswriter with unrivaled access to IU basketball coach Bob Knight, as a valuable mentor. Knight’s era in Bloomington had ended by the time Koryta sought Hammel’s advice on becoming a better writer. “I really believe that working with Bob shaved, at minimum, five years off my wait to publish and possibly 10,” Koryta said of Hammel, who published his second book about late Hoosier entrepreneur Bill Cook earlier this year. “He was that important.”

Audience appetite: Koryta said he doesn’t try to think about connecting with an audience during his writing process, but he knows the public loves to read thrillers. “I’ve always thought that we are drawn to crime stories, whether they are fictional or true, because we understand that our own tragedy could be just around the corner at any time,” he said. “I think engaging with that when it’s on a fictional or perhaps entertainment basis allows people to just consider it, without having to really take on the full darkness and weight of that possibility.”

Call Star reporter David Lindquist at (317) 444-6404. Follow him on Twitter: @317Lindquist.

Michael Koryta reading and signing event

WHEN:7 p.m. Aug. 20.

WHERE:Barnes & Noble, 14790 Greyhound Plaza, Carmel.

ADMISSION:Free.

INFO:Visit MichaelKoryta.com or call (317) 844-2501