Having forfeited his youth to the state prison system, Michael moved back to the only home he'd ever known. An empty shell of a man how now lived - if it could be called living - in the still vacant house of his parents in a town with one stoplight. A town that hated him.

Samuel Parker is the author of Purgatory Road. Born in the Michigan boondocks, he was raised on a never-ending road trip through the U.S. Besides writing, he is a process junkie and the ex-guitarist for several metal bands you've never heard of. He lives in West Michigan with his wife and twin sons.