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Inspirations From the Long Ice Road

Inspirations From the Long Ice Road

MJ Preston | August 15, 2020 Leave a Comment

Hi there, what can I tell you that’s not in my bio? Beyond the fact that I’m a novelist of dark fiction in both the horror and thriller genre, I am also an amateur photographer, and man, I’ve done a myriad of things to get me to this place. You name the job; I probably did it. Chicken catcher? Yup! Garbage Man? Yup! Demolition Man? Yup! Detachment Commander on an M109 self-propelled howitzer? Yes Sir! Long Haul Trucker? Yup! Ice Road Trucker.

Why yes, I drove the Worlds Longest Ice Road between 2012 and 2016.

Been there, done that, and got the t-shirts and hats to prove it!

I have had an exciting life, both as a writer and as an adventurer. During my decades of experience, I have absorbed, like the voyeuristic Norman Bates peaking through the wall at an undressing victim. So even if you don’t know something about me personally, you might learn from my fiction.

My second novel was inspired by my experiences driving in sub-zero temperatures above the 60th Parallel and below the arctic circle. I’ve been on a few adventurers, some planned, others spontaneous, and each of those has made me a better writer.

What others might not know is that my first two novels were written on the steering wheels of three big trucks: a Freightliner, and two Kenworth’s. I am not a university professor, but the things I seen and done in real life can be found in my writing. I have always had a bond with the working man. They are my heroes, some thrown into crazy circumstances. Such as the reluctant ice road trucker, Marty Croft, as he is forced back into a life of crime while learning the ropes on the world’s longest ice road. Poor Marty, what will he do? They have his wife. He has no one to trust but himself, and even if he does the job, which is retrieve stolen diamonds from a northern mine, they’ll probably kill him and his wife, Maggie, anyway. What more could go wrong?

How about a full-scale alien invasion?

When I write, I like to make things interesting. My motto is if you’re not having fun, why do it in the first place. Being a good writer is having lots of exciting things in your toolbox. I count my life experiences as my greatest asset. Having been a soldier, an ice trucker, and a blue-collar worker has equipped me with the necessary regalia to connect with the everyday man. If you’re looking for high literature that will alter the course of the English language and its nuances, you came to the wrong writer. But if you want kick-ass stories with great characters, from hero to villain, I am your man.

I tell stories like I am there because I am, and if you take my hand, I’ll show you a world of possibility.


Four by MJ PrestonHaving abstained from killing for almost a year, the Highwayman is coming unglued.

Unsure if the FBI is watching, Lance Belanger spends his days and nights in a paranoid malaise, longing to kill again. Meanwhile, in Bucharest, Romania, an Interpol raid leads to clues and a witness who can identify the Highwayman. Armed with new evidence, newly promoted SAC FBI Agent, Dave Maxwell heads for Bucharest, as his team of investigators redeploys their investigation on their original suspect, Lance Belanger. It would appear, the net is closing.

But the Highwayman has other ideas.

Just after dusk, outside of Pittsburgh, four strangers exit a service van and perpetrate the mass murder of four families in their suburban homes. It doesn’t take long for the FBI to connect the killings to Highwayman, and when they raid Belanger’s properties, they are left a parting gift.

Another murder and a message for Maxwell from the Highwayman himself.

Come and find me!

As the killing ramps up, Maxwell leads a posse of investigators across two states, north to Canada to try and thwart the Highwayman in his endgame, that involves kidnapping, mass murder, and betrayal.

The predator is now the prey.

But can they stop him before he disappears for good?

Available from WildBlue Press: MJ Preston’s Highwayman Horror Series Continues With FOUR

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Filed Under: Columns Tagged With: thriller

MJ Preston

About MJ Preston

To my neighbors, I am a quiet and assuming guy who works blue-collar. What they don't know is that I also write dark speculative fiction. My work has been printed all over the world. I have four novels on the market and a fifth and sixth in production. My short fiction is available with numerous pubs, including magazines and anthologies.
Website: mjpreston.net | Twitter: @MJPreston1

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