“Zero Turn” was written by Ray Liotti from Parkersburg. The book is about a man who seeks revenge for the death of a brother. The 1981 Parkersburg South High School graduate now lives in Charleston, S.C. (Photo Provided)

PARKERSBURG — An actor, musician and screenwriter from Parkersburg has written a novel based on a screenplay he wrote two years before.

“Zero Turn” by Rob Liotti is a psychological thriller about Vince Minard avenging the death of his younger brother.

Writing the book only took about three months because most of the work was already done in a movie script Liotti said he had already written.

“The genesis of the book is from a screenplay I had written two years ago,” Liotti said.

Liotti is the son of Mary and Charles Liotti of Parkersburg. He played sports at Parkersburg High School, then transferred to Parkersburg South where he graduated in 1981.

Ray Liotti, an actor, musician and screenwriter from Parkersburg who wrote “Zero Turn,” a psychological thriller about a man seeking vengeance. (Photo Provided)

While sports were a major part of his life, including a football scholarship offer to Ohio State University, when he got to Columbus, he had a change of spirit and eventually became involved in music with a band as the vocalist. A friend had taken him to a concert where he had the epiphany.

“Some switch flipped in me,” Liotti said. “I wanted to do something else.”

The transition was foretold when he was a young child discovered years later in an entry his mother put in a baby book, Liotti said.

“I took the aptitude test in school and while most kids wrote down baseball player, fireman or astronaut, for some reason I wrote down entertainer,” he said.

From music Liotti became involved in movies. He was an extra in “Brubaker,” a movie starring the late Robert Redford as a prison warden who goes undercover.

Liotti’s girlfriend’s aunt and uncle owned a home in Lancaster, Ohio, where “Brubaker” was made, where the movie’s wrap up party was held, Liotti said.

Liotti moved to Charleston, S.C., where he presently lives. Things are much different in Charleston where he became acquainted with other actors, including Bill Murray.

“Down here I was exposed to a much different world,” Liotti said.

In the movies, Liotti portrayed Anthony Morelli in “Family Values: The Rise of Anthony Morelli,” which Liotti describes as a “handsome, smooth-talking attorney and son of an infamous New Jersey mob boss whose political ambitions intersect with his ruthless calculus to acquire power.”

“It was my first starring role,” Liotti said.

A sequel to the movie, “Family Values: The Corruption, is in development as a mini-series, he said.

Liotti said he is best known for portraying on stage the late Bon Scott of AC/DC, a rock icon from Australia. The movie version of the show was dropped by NBC Universal over licensing rights, he said.

“They could not secure the music licensing rights from the band or from the management company,” Liotti said.

Then came “Zero Turn,” first as the screenplay, then the novel, said Liotti, who has written a book about the horse industry and has had freelance articles published in related magazines.

Marketing a book is much easier than marketing a screenplay, Liotti said. Money and getting an actor with the box office draw to bring in money are among the big factors in whether a screenplay is made into a movie, he said.

That isn’t the case in getting a novel published, he said.

“It’s so much easier to get a book to somebody,” Liotti said.

In “Zero Turn,” Minard leads a double life. He is a successful businessman in a coastal town, but is a ruthless avenger “who exacts a vengeful killing spree avenging the tragic death of his younger brother and his own inner demons,” Liotti said. Minard is pursued by a former detective who is closing in on him.

A passage from the book describes Minard.

“Vince Minard sat at the head of the table, silent and still in a tailored button-down, sleeves crisp, french cuffs adorned with silver cufflinks-never gold-his navy tie anchored against the hard line of his collarbone. His angular chiseled face held no visible tension, but his posture gave him away-ramrod spine, a grip on his utensils that never loosened, even when he wasn’t using them. Posture wasn’t just position, it was standing. The coffee at his elbow steamed as he gave it an intentional light stir. His mug had a microchip imprint of the university where he no longer sent donations.”

“This isn’t just a book. It’s a cinematic experience on the page,” Liotti said. “Every detail, from the cover design to the final line, is crafted to leave a lasting impression and immerse the reader in Vince’s journey of retribution.”

“Zero Turn” is available on Amazon and in Kindle versions, Barnes and Noble, Walmart, Apple Books and other online sources. The 311-page paperback is $19.99 with the Kindle version at $8.99.