Magdalena High grad publishes spy thriller
Magdalena High School graduate Jorrell Mirabal, known by classmates as a celebrated athlete in several sports, has just published a novel. Available in digital format and as a trade paperback, “Nowhere To Turn” is the story of an FBI agent who is wrongly accused of murder.
A fan of thrillers, Mirabal he said he found inspiration by reading James Patterson.
“I took a James Patterson MasterClass online,” he said. “He said that 31 publishers declined his first book before a publisher finally said ‘yes.’ That really inspired me, coming from the world’s bestselling author.”
The protagonist in “Nowhere To Turn” is Ryan Turner, whose “life has been far from easy,” he said.
Mirabal, 18, said he’s always had a passion for writing, and began to write short stories for his middle school English class.
The leap from short stories to producing a full-length novel was challenging for the firsttime novelist.
“With work and life on the ranch, different jobs, basketball, football, track, rodeo, student council, National Honor Society, the New Mexico Activities Association’s Student Advisory Council, other organizations, as well as school, it has been hard to find time,” he said.
Mirabal aspires to be a doctor and although he will be entering a BS/MD program at the University of New Mexico this fall, he said he won’t put his writing on hold.
“I’m currently working on the sequel to ‘Nowhere to Turn,’ and plan to release it by the end of this year,” he said.
Mirabal’s advice to writers young and old is to “never give up on your dreams. Never let anyone tell you that you can’t do something.”
“Nowhere To Turn” can be purchased online on Amazon.