Local Resident Alex Murphy Pens New Book
Writer / Renee Larr
Photography Provided
Baseball has long been referred to as America’s pastime, often playing a large part in American history. Baseball is one of the few games anyone from any background can play, adding to its longevity in American culture. Local author Alex Murphy took his love for the game and authored “The Lost Innings: A Baseball Redemption.”
The retired teacher and lawyer taught English at Indianapolis Public Schools for four years before law school. The U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps recruited Murphy during his time as a private attorney to serve. He served in Panama, Korea, Germany and Iraq, and survived the Army Air Assault School at Fort Campbell. He says many of the stories he accumulated along the way became ideas for books.
“I was an English major and I have a love of reading,” Murphy says. “I think reading turns into writing. I always enjoyed being around other people in writing classes because they always had stories to tell. When I got out of the military and was closer to retiring, I had more time to sit down and write.”
Murphy says “The Lost Innings” is a human drama centering around the protagonist, Jack Ridley, and the issues he has to resolve. Murphy says it’s called a baseball redemption because he has to help himself by helping someone else.
“I always ask people if they have seen the movie ‘Hoosiers’ and what the story is about,” Murphy says. “People often say the movie is about a basketball team, but at its core, it’s about the relationship between the players and the coach. It’s a human-interest story based in basketball. ‘The Lost Innings’ is a human-interest story based in baseball and second chances.”
In the book, Ridley finds a chance at redemption in the form of a rookie player whose talents are about to be wasted. Ridley teaches the younger player the finer points of Major League Baseball while healing from his own past trauma.
At the urging of a friend who had written a book himself, Murphy took an old screenplay he had written and turned it into the book. He says the book took about six months to write, and he liked to utilize the colder months as his creative time when he was stuck inside.
“In the beginning I had a great outline and a great path to pursue writing the book,” Murphy says. “I just needed to convert some of the concepts. There needs to be something wrong to have drama. I needed to flesh a few things out with the protagonist. In the original screenplay it was an injury, but I thought an injury was just too predictable.”
Murphy is a man of many talents. In addition to writing, he spends time woodworking, playing piano and guitar, recording music, and volunteering legal services for veterans. He’s also currently working on two additional novels.
For more information about Murphy and to purchase “The Lost Innings: A Baseball Redemption,” visit alexmurphyauthor.com.
