BRUSH PRAIRIE, WA  — Former Downey resident and journalist Shannon Capps is ‘turning the camera around’ for a scathing look at the TV news business. His new novel, Runaway Train, the story of a young reporter caught in a web of corruption, hits bookshelves October 5th. 

“If Walter Cronkite was alive today,” Capps, who writes under the name S.W. Capps, says, “he’d have serious questions: ‘Who’s telling the truth?’; ‘What happened to unbiased reporting?’; and ‘When did the news business run off the rails?’” 

Capps’ novel (a re-imagining of his 2010 offering, Train in the Distance) comes on the heels of a recent Gallup poll stating that only 9 percent of Americans “trust the media a great deal”, while 33 percent “don’t trust them at all”.  An Edelman poll goes even further, reporting that 56 percent think "journalists are purposely trying to mislead" them. 

"Polls like these forced me to revisit the subject," Capps says.  "The new book is shorter than the original and much faster-paced, with different plot twists and a timely new epilogue."         

Runaway Train, published by D.X. Varos, Ltd. in Denver, Colorado, is set in 1987, shortly after the FCC killed the Fairness Doctrine.  It is the story of a wary first-time journalist, forced to confront the sinister forces behind the station he works for.  But while fighting to expose the truth, he uncovers something far more powerful--the truth about himself.

“I don't love the term ‘fake news’,” Capps, 57, says, “but today’s broadcast press corps has certainly earned the moniker. This book is a pull-no-punches, honest look at where it all began.” 

And Capps would know. Prior to writing Runaway Train, he worked as a reporter for KXII-TV Channel 12, the CBS affiliate in Ardmore, Oklahoma, where in 1989, he was nominated for an Oklahoma Broadcasters Award. Since leaving the world of television news, he has spent much of his time on two wheels, exploring the country via motorcycle and writing about it. His features have appeared in Rider, RoadBike, and H.O.G. magazines. 

“His new book is part coming-of-age tale, part whodunit,” publisher Daniel Willis says. “And we're excited to be releasing it at this critical point in time." 

Early reviews have been positive, with critics calling it “a solid, fast-paced action piece…compelling on many different levels, from social commentary to intrigue (Midwest Book Review).” 

Capps lived in Downey for more than two decades, attending Roger Casier and Maude Price, Griffiths Middle and Warren High School.  Later, he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Broadcast Journalism at the University of Southern California, where he graduated Magna Cum Laude in 1987.  After lengthy stints in the media and video production industries, he moved to the Pacific Northwest to pursue a full-time writing career, where he makes himself available (via video conference, phone, or in-person) to book clubs that read his novels. 

Capps hopes to make his home town a stop on his upcoming book tour.  He spoke to readers at the Downey Library ten years ago, when his last novel was released.  “My goal is to entertain people,” Capps says, “but if I can open a few eyes along the way, all the better. I think Runaway Train will do that.”

Runaway Train is available in paperback or eBook at Amazon.com, DXVaros.com, and selected bookstores.  For more details, readers can also visit Capps’ Web site (swcapps.com).  

Q:  What was the inspiration for this novel?

A:  As a young reporter in 1988, I found myself in rural Oklahoma, on deadline, stuck behind another tractor, and wondering why I chose this career. An idea blossomed, one for a novel based on my real-life experiences in the news business. I began compiling notes on Steno pads, scripts, napkins, you name it. Thirty-plus years later, I put the finishing touches on Runaway Train.   

Q:  You’ve said this book is about ‘telling the truth’.  Can you explain? 

A:  As a one-time ‘insider’, I wanted people to see the news differently. News directors have agendas. And reporters don’t always have time to check their facts. As a result, the truth can come in small doses on the evening news. So if someone really wants the truth, I suggest surveying multiple sources—and never taking one source’s words as gospel. 

Q:  How did your work as a TV reporter prepare you to write novels?

A:  Reporting the news helped me in lots of ways, the most obvious being that it allowed me to write every day. And with the deadline pressure, reporting forced me to think on the fly, ask the right questions, and organize my thoughts. But perhaps most importantly, it exposed me to all different types of people.  

Q:  What do you think of the media today? 

A:  Like in every industry, there are good, conscientious people—and there are bad. The trick is knowing who’s who. And as we’ve seen in recent years, there’s a pronounced skew with today’s press. Remember, news doesn’t create itself. People create it. And then decide how much to share and how much to withhold. Or as Dick Wilhelm, the villainous G.M. in Runaway Train, says, “News is what I say it is!”