Pete Fleck, a Mt. Vernon High School alumni, wrote and self-published a book.
Submitted photo
Editor’s note: The Daily Reporter will feature our “Neighbors” regularly, whether it be someone with an interesting hobby or profession, or a nonprofit group making a difference in our community. Here, Peter Fleck, a 1986 Mt. Vernon High School graduate, shares about his recent self-published book “Caged.” If you know a person or a group that you’d like to see featured in Neighbors, email [email protected].
Name: Peter G. Fleck
Hometown: Born Ft. Carson Colorado
Current town: Indianapolis
Occupation: Federal VA police officer, after serving 24 years in the Army and 27 years with the Brownsburg Police Department
Daily Reporter: How long have you been writing?
Peter Fleck: I have written stories for years along with adventures for my kids for role playing games.
DR: What sparked your interest in writing?
PF: Sylvester Stallone’s motivation talks about how every story is an undiscovered dream.
DR: How were you inspired to write “Caged”?
PF: Experiences that I had as a police officer working fatality crashes.
DR: How long did it take you to write “Caged” and how did you make time for it?
PF: It took me ten days of a writing frenzy to write the story. Gave it to my friend who always gave me hard truth. He told me it was the greatest story ever written by a fourth grader and to find an editor. It took several rewrites and a lot of help from Brownsburg author Beth Crawford to get it worthy of being published. During the pandemic I went through some depression for about a week when I was locked down at home. I wasn’t eating right; I was drinking the wrong things and had a horrible feeling of doom and gloom. I woke up on a Monday morning and told myself that I would never have this kind of time again to create something beautiful. I threw out everything that wasn’t good for me, started reading whatever I could, did prison workouts in my room sometimes twice a day, practiced my Spanish, played chess and made myself write for at least six hours every day.
DR: When was it published?
PF: October 2023, self-published through Amazon. Search “Caged” by Pete Fleck.
DR: What’s next for you and your writing career?
PF: I have another book that is about ready to go. I also have completed the first book in a series of science fiction novels that I’m anxious to write. I’m ten chapters into another book that I hope to have finished in three months. I want to write stories that are uplifting, positive and will get people thinking about how they have been living their lives. I would love to find a publishing agent and make enough so that I can quit my job and just write. My goal is to reach a million people.
Synopsis of “Caged” from Amazon.com: “For three years, Michael has hidden in the bloody world of cage fighting where he can unleash his rage on his opponents. Trapped in a mental cage of his own making, he uses pain and solitude to protect himself from memories of his past. When he begins to see light in the world again, fear threatens to derail his new chance at life.
Courtney is reluctant to trust Michael when her young son befriends the mysterious loner. Struggling to rebuild her life after a devastating divorce, Courtney is drawn to the gentle side she sees in Michael. Focused on raising her son and a career helping others, she must be willing to let down her guard to find happiness.
Steven’s life changed forever with one terrible decision. For three years he has worked to right the wrong and find forgiveness for the lives he changed forever. He wonders if the recurring nightmare of his own violent death is about to come true, or if he will ever find peace.
When their lives come to a crossroads, Michael, Courtney and Steven are faced with decisions that could lead them to redemption or cost them everything they have left.”
