Gainesville resident and UF alumnus Frederick Malphurs’ newest novel, which is now available for sale on Amazon, ties together his experience in veteran affairs and his love for Spanish folklore.
“A Year in the Life of Dr. Fox,” set in a small Mexican community, explains the difficult decision to put loved ones at risk when it comes to drug wars, immigration and economic aid.
“The book explains violence and corruption,” Malphurs said. “Illegal drugs are a big problem in Mexico.”
The novel takes readers to a place they’ve never heard of, Malphurs said
The strength of family, how active religious organizations are in Mexico as well as good versus evil are issues the main characters deal with throughout the fiction novel.
“The theme of the novel is to provide a contemporary understanding for people who read about big issues and crimes in the area,” Malphurs said. “I wanted to provide a hero who is based in reality.”
Malphurs said his passion to write comes from the strength and opportunities that exist in the Gainesville community.
Although the inspiration to write this novel came from a trip to Mexico, the supportive atmosphere in Gainesville led him to become an independent, self-published author, Malphurs said.
“I have learned the hard way that traditional marketing for someone who isn’t established doesn’t work,” Malphurs said. “The fact that Gainesville has groups who give me support encourages me to publish books on topics most people haven’t heard of.”
Julia Sutton, an 18-year-old UF accounting freshman, said the novel could be of interest to students because of the author’s connection to the Gainesville community.
Given the number of people who try to get published, Sutton said, it’s amazing someone close to home achieved it.
“I would read the book because it’s an entertaining way to gain an emotional background on an issue students constantly debate about,” she said.
A version of this story ran on page 8 on 10/11/2013 under the headline "Gainesville author publishes modern novel with folklore ties"
