Friend Me by John Faubion

Scott and Rachel’s marriage is on the brink of disaster. Scott, a businessman with a high-pressure job, just wants Rachel to understand him and accept his flaws. Rachel is a lonely housewife, desperate for attention and friendship. So she decides to create a virtual friend online, unaware that Scott is doing the exact same thing. But neither realizes that there’s a much larger problem looming. . . . 

Behind both of their online creations is Melissa, a woman who is brilliant— and totally insane. Masquerading as both friend and lover, Melissa programmed a search parameter into the Virtual Friend Me software to find her perfect man, but along the way she forgot to specify his marriage status. And Scott is her ideal match. Now Melissa is determined to have it all—Scott, his family, and Rachel’s life. 

As Melissa grows bolder and her online manipulations transition into the real world, Scott and Rachel figure out they are being played. Now it’s a race against time as Scott and Rachel fight to save their marriage, and their lives, before it’s too late.

With the growth of the internet and all of the social media sites like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, I guess it is only a matter a time before an actual site like the one mentioned in this book comes to fruition.  It is with that thought in mind, that I couldn’t wait to dive into this book.

Scott and Rachel have hit a rut in their marriage.  Rachel spends her day caring for their child and Scott spends his day at work supporting his family.  Both of them feel they are doing exactly what they are supposed to be doing to make their marriage work, but they are both falling short of a fulfilling marriage.  Rachel finds a website that offers to “recreate” lost ones from the past and she sets out to “recreate” her friend Suzanne.  As she builds her best friend, the realism intrigues Scott.  Scott, though, creates someone to listen to him, a female companion.  After Scott starts building his friend, parameters within the software alert the programmer that her “dream guy” is looking for someone.  As she begins to sculpt herself into Scott’s virtual friend, the drama begins to spiral out of control.  Is Rachel’s virtual friend real?  Does Scott cross the line with his virtual friend?  Can their real marriage survive what’s happening in the virtual world?  Find out the answer to these great questions when you BUY THE BOOK!

 

This is the first book by John Faubion and definitely looks like it won’t be his last.  The tension and stress that he writes into his characters are so real allowing the reader the chance to “see” themselves or loved ones that they know in those roles.    He has created some memorable characters in Rachel and Scott.  Not because of some outlandish lifestyle, but because they came across as real people just like the rest of us.  The storyline flowed smoothly and while the author may have taken some creative freedom when it came to describing the technology behind the “friends”, I don’t think that the reality isn’t too far behind.

Is this a “Guy’s Book”?  This is a great book and should be read by anybody, man or woman.  This will hopefully open up some eyes to those that say, “it isn’t real, so who’s it really hurting?”

 

John agreed to answer a few questions for us to get a chance to know him better:

What is your favorite bible verse and why?

Interesting question, so I’ll attempt to give you a more-interesting-than-usual answer. I’ve attached a picture from my iPad with my current favorite Bible verse.

• The Chinese is “耶和华啊，我的心仰望你。”
• The English (which I imagine most of your readers probably employ!) is “Unto thee, O LORD, do I lift up my soul. (Psalm 25:1).

The “why” is that believers need to yield themselves to the Lord every day, and usually more often than that. I’m no exception. I love the Psalms and Proverbs. They’re so rich.

I don’t have a regular “life verse” like most folks. Don’t know why – just the way it worked out. The bright side of this is that if someone asks me my favorite verse next week, it may be different!

What has been the most important thing you hope your readers will get from your books and why?

The theme is for Christians to see the need — the absolute need — of living a consistent, faithful Christian life. Focus on what’s real, not on imagined dreams, fantasies, and what-might-have-been.

Back to Friend Me’s epigraph, Phillippians 4:8, “Whatsoever things are true. . . think on these things.”

Besides writing, what are some of your favorite hobbies? 

I have an old 1949 Packard automobile that I love to work on and drive. I think I’ll attach a picture of that, too. My youngest daughter turns seventeen tomorrow. Before she found out how hard it was going to be to steer, she asked for a pickup truck to drive when she was old enough. I finished that up last year, a 1966 Ford F-100.

Looks like it’s going to be mine, after all! Maybe if I’d put in power steering…

What advice would you give to a beginning writer?

Be humble, and be patient with yourself. You don’t know nearly as much as you think you do. Just about everyone on earth writes better than you do right now. So give yourself time, ask for help when you need it, and don’t wear a lot of agents and editors out until you’re ready to give them something good.

Work hard, be faithful and persistent, and write a story in such a way that if you were the reader, you’d buy your own book on the spot.

Favorite memory from childhood?

Riding my bicycle really fast down the hill from Longmeadow into Forest Park (Massachusetts). I’d gotten a speedometer for Christmas (or maybe my birthday, I don’t remember), and I actually hit 45 MPH. Scared myself to death, but it sure was fun.

The next time I tried it I talked Bobby Roman into riding along with me on his bike. He wasn’t so lucky. He flipped over and skinned up his back real bad. Our moms were not too happy with me.

Favorite comfort food?

So here’s the easy question. There is nothing on earth better than cold buttermilk.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Suspense fiction writer.  I have a wife whom I love, and five children ranging from their teens to their forties.  I love each one.  I’ve worked a day job as a senior software developer for the last fifteen years.  Previous to that, I spent nearly thirty years as a foreign missionary in Vietnam and China.  Yes, I speak Chinese as a second language.

John Faubion is celebrating his debut novel, Friend Me, with a Kindle HDX giveaway!

One winner will receive:

• A brand new Kindle Fire HDX
• Friend Me by John Faubion

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on February 22nd. Winner will be announced February 24th on John Faubion's blog.

Don't miss a moment of the fun; enter today and be sure to stop by John's blog on the 24th to see if you won.