For most 16-year-olds, a summer internship working for a private investigator sounds like an unobtainable dream. For Marshall Miller, this dream becomes a reality when he is assigned a case investigating a supernatural mystery located in Bloomington.
“Lost Man’s Lane,” the most recent supernatural thriller, released in March of 2024, written by Scott Carson, follows Marshall’s journey in this locally inspired fictional tale. However, Scott Carson is simply a pen name for New York Times bestselling author and screenwriter, Michael Koryta. On his website, he states the pen name is used for his supernatural stores.
Koryta will appear on WFIU for a special live broadcast during “Noon Edition” at 11:30 a.m. Friday. Hosted by Bob Zaltsberg, the event will feature three panelists at Viewpoint Books: Chapter Two in Columbus, Indiana, who will discuss popular book titles, their personal favorites, book trends and holiday gift ideas.
“When Bob asks me to do something, I try to try to come through on it. He was my editor when I worked at the Herald Times in Bloomington,” Koryta said. “It’s also an opportunity to promote books in Indiana. We have a really rich literary tradition here and I think maybe that's not well known.”
Growing up in Bloomington, Koryta centered his life around books.
“I don't remember a time when I didn't want to be a writer,” Koryta said. “My parents were big readers, so I spent a lot of time in the library as a kid. As soon as I realized you could make a living out of doing this, it was the job that I wanted.”
As he got older, his parents also influenced his passion for the crime and supernatural genre. They were largely into older mystery thrillers, which is where he later became a big fan of Stephen King
His early interest in crime and mystery landed him an internship with a private investigator in high school at a company located in Bloomington called Trace Investigations.
“I started out writing private detective novels and I’d also worked as a private investigator, so I knew I had a sense of the reality of a private detective,” Koryta said. “Having a criminal justice degree also allowed me to have some knowledge of how investigations and prosecutions work.”
While in the process of getting that degree at IU, Koryta also balanced his job as a journalist and personal endeavor as a novelist.
“At the time, it didn’t seem like that big of a deal to me at all, but now I think that’s insane,” Koryta said. “I was a full-time student, pulling 40-hour weeks at the Herald Times and doing private investigator work. I was also writing on the side because I enjoyed it. The first book I published in college was actually my fourth book.”
Despite the overwhelming schedule, Koryta believes those early years helped accelerate his career. He was surrounded by good mentors, writers and reporters that helped him gain experience at a young age.
Writing his most recent novel allowed him to revisit his experience as a teenager working with private investigators in Bloomington. However, it’s the first of his books to be set in his hometown.
“I was afraid of people conflating who I am with the story or thinking, ‘Oh, he’s basing this character on a real person,’” Koryta said. “I love Bloomington, but I never wanted it to seem like I was stealing stories from real life. That’s probably why I decided to set it in the past too. There was a little more distance there.”
The novel has received praise from notable authors, such as Joe Hill, author of books such as “Heart-Shaped Box,” and the comic book series “Locke & Key.”
“I fell deep into this book and never wanted to come out. It’ll make you a Scott Carson fan for life,” Hill said in a podcast for the New York Times.
Joe Hill is also the son of Stephen King, an overriding influence in Koryta’s career. While Koryta has won many awards, the comments from other authors speak to him more deeply.
“I think that what stands out to me more on a sort of visceral, emotional level, are the words from writers who I loved and respected,” Koryta said. “The idea that people I grew up reading know of me or have read my work is really special.”
Now, Koryta is putting the final touches on his next Bloomington-based novel, “Departure 37.” In the meantime, he is looking forward to his appearance on WFIU where he will be recommending books, specifically written by authors from Indiana.
“We really do have an incredible amount of good writing talent from Indiana,” Koryta said.
