GONE TO GROUND was the winner for Best First Book/Fiction in the 2025 IndieReader Discovery Awards, where undiscovered talent meets people with the power to make a difference.
Following find an interview with author Morgan Hatch.
“I am grateful to IndieReader for this award. As a writer, it’s easy to be discouraged and fall victim to the inner critic. I could paper the walls of my office with query rejections (my wife probably wouldn’t go for it if I tried it in our living room). It’s an honor to receive the Discovery Award for Best First Book, and I want to thank the team at IndieReader for this recognition.”
What is the name of the book and when was it published?
GONE TO GROUND, coming out July 31, 2025
What’s the book’s first line?
Five minutes into class, Javier knew it was a wash.
What’s the book about? Give us the “pitch”.
Two brothers from the streets of LA get caught in the crosshairs of a hedge fund fixer.
What inspired you to write the book? A particular person? An event?
A couple of things converged during the pandemic-percolation phase. I’ve taught English in the LA public schools for thirty years, and one of the titles that never fails to hook even the most tuned-out middle school kid is a book called The Outsiders. It’s an adult-free novel where loyalty is the coin of the realm, a theme that never fails to resonate with my students. Throw in a generous serving of violence, a dollop of romance and you have a time-honored novel that has made “Do it for Johnny!” the only literary quote most kids in LA public schools will ever remember. Originally I wanted to recreate and update its themes of brotherhood and class warfare in a contemporary urban setting. And then I landed on the antagonist George Jones and got vicariously drunk on his limitless power, and at that point the book went in a totally different direction.
What’s the most distinctive thing about the main character? Who-real or fictional-would you say the character reminds you of?
Though I rely on many of the typical tropes of urban life, I meant this book to be a shout-out to the grinders who turned up in my classes every year. These are the shoulder-to-the-wheel, head down, brick-by-brick, drama-free kids who put in the school work and then go sell flowers for four hours on the street or nail shingles on the weekends or bag groceries six days a week and sometimes pull overnights restocking shelves. No complaints, no attitude. These kids are, in my opinion, the best this country has to offer.
What’s the main reason someone should really read this book?
It’s urban suspense featuring two brothers heading in opposite directions. Be ready for multiple threads and a few twists.
If they made your book into a movie, who would you like to see play the main character(s)?
In the movie Michael Clayton, there’s a nameless operative/contractor who Karen Crowder (played by Tilda Swinton) reaches out to when she needs to put the squeeze on Arthur (played by Tom Wilkinson who should have won an Oscar). There is a moment in which Karen and the operative meet, and Karen tries to nudge him into taking on a contract hit without explicitly stating that request. In that two minute dialogue, the operative’s demeanor is exactly what I wanted Jones to embody.
As for Javier, cast that role locally here in LA. Spend a week at any Title 1 middle school, walk the halls, stand off to the side during lunch, sit in on a few classes. Guaranteed you’ll have a dozen Javier’s. The trick would be to get them to audition because they’re too busy with school and work.
When did you first decide to become an author?
I’ve written little things here and there since I was young, but didn’t decide to try and get published until the pandemic.
What do you do for work when you’re not writing?
I’ve taught for thirty years and will soon be retiring.
How much time do you generally spend on your writing?
Gone To Ground took me five years to write.
What’s the best and the hardest part of being an indie?
Most successful indie authors spend at least half their time working their platforms, and I have a steep learning curve in that regard.
Would you go traditional if a publisher came calling? If so, why?
Most definitely. It would be a dream to have an agent/editor to work with.
Is there something in particular that motivates you (fame? fortune?)
Gone To Ground is a good book, but I want to write a better book.
Which writer, living or dead, do you most admire?
Richard Price, Dennis Lehane, and check out IS Berry if you haven’t read her debut.
Which book do you wish you could have written?
Mystic River.