December got away from me.
Between wrapping up the end of the semester teaching, an author’s event,
the holidays and other commitments, there was no opportunity to put together
the newsletter. Many of you can relate to that.
Now as we move into 2022, it’s a chance for a fresh
start. I’ve never been one to make
resolutions. But I occasionally will set some short-term goals. Often achieving those will lead to more
progress. Add in the rude arrival of winter weather and that might lead to more
time working on stories.
Time for a glimpse at writing, my latest work in progress, a
character interview and music.
Writing
Last month I participated in an
author’s event at the local library.
There was a decent number who turned out and it provided the opportunity
to chat with quite a few people about my novels. One older woman asked me where I get the
ideas for my stories.
That’s rarely an easy question to
answer. I explained that just about anything can trigger a story for me. It could be a comment overheard. Or perhaps
it was observing the way a couple interacts. Or a blurb on the news. Or a simple situation of ‘what if’.
She wasn’t satisfied with that
response. Then she picked up “Stealing
Haven” and waved it at me. “What about
this one?”
“That’s where Jamie and her best
friend go on vacation. What’s supposed
to be just a relaxing week on the shore of Lake Michigan turns into a little
romantic fling. Jamie’s curiosity is also triggered by a string of home
invasions,” I said.
“But where did the idea come from?”
she insisted.
I could sense she wasn’t giving
up. “While visiting South Haven, I saw
two young women relaxing on the beach.
The next day I was reading an article online about an increase in home
break-ins. The two plots fit together.”
She considered it for a moment, then
bought the book.
I’d be willing to bet five authors
could be standing around the scene of a car accident and each would come up
with a different idea for a story. Everyone reacts differently. What strikes me
about that situation could be unlike that of anyone else. That’s part of the
intrigue. No two people are the same. Story ideas can be magical. The basis for a story may be a trigger to
start writing, but it may not even faintly resemble the finished product.
I’ll continue to work on an acceptable
response to that question. But it’s one that may never be answered.
Work in Progress.
Just before the holidays I received
the galleys for “The Wayward Path” from the editor. This is the next step in the process. Once again, I had the opportunity to review
the manuscript and make any corrections or suggestions to the story. You’d think that having written it and read
it four or five times now, that everything should be perfect. That would be wishful thinking on my part.
I found a few goofs here and there,
but the one that cracked me up was when two characters are discussing recent
events and one mentions Chene and his team might just end up with
‘accommodations’. What I meant was ‘a
commendation’. Not only did I miss this
on earlier reads, but so did my team of beta readers and the editor!
With that file completed and returned
to the editor, I was able to spend some time with the next Jamie Richmond
story. This morning I noticed that just
over 30,000 words have been written. I’ve
got several subplots brewing. It’s
looking promising. And since Jamie enjoys
unravelling complications, I’m leaning toward two different mysteries that she
gets tangled up in.
Recently I stumbled upon this picture,
which could easily be Jamie encouraging me to get back to work.
Interview
Characters drive the story. There are some books that I’ve picked up and
couldn’t get past the first 20 pages.
Sometimes it’s the writing. Others it’s the storyline. Others the
characters are so bland and boring that I didn’t care what happened to
them. With my own work, I’m committed to
make memorable characters. Each one should have an interesting background and
their actions and interactions with others are a key to building a good (and
hopefully great) story.
With that in mind, it’s time to meet
one of my favorite creations. Captain Prescott ‘Pappy’ Cantrell is the boss of
Squad Six. His team of detectives, including Jefferson Chene, oversees the major
case investigations throughout the metropolitan Detroit area.
Here's what Pappy may look like.
Welcome,
Pappy. Tell us a little about yourself.
(takes a drag on his ever present cigarette) Ah’m from
the deep south of Tennessee. After my
hitch in the army, Ah moved to Michigan. Ah met a girl from Detroit when on
leave. So Ah came here and started workin’ as a policeman for the state. Ain’t never been married. Ah’m too restless for it.
How does your background tie in with the Chene series?
More
than twenty-five years chasin’ crooks mayhap somethin’ to do with it. Me and my squad close cases. Keeps da
Governor happy.
What’s your greatest strength? And of course, we want to know the opposite, your greatest weakness.
(another
puff on the cigarette) Ah’m good at pickin’ the best cops for my squad. They
all different. But they git it done. And
it bothers me to admit, but Ah’m good at politics. Ah know how the systems
works. Weakness? Southern cookin’ and pretty women. Though not
always in that order.
We cross the lines. Sumtimes a crime happens in one
city, but the victims live in nother. There’s
more’n 2,000 square miles in them three counties we cover. Sumtimes there ain’t no simple connections
tween crimes. Like ah said, we cross dem lines. Like in that ‘Why 319?’ case,
with dat message on the bathroom mirror. Only my team had a chance to figger it
out an catch the killer.
Tell us something about your background that may or may not be revealed in the book?
(chuckles)
Y'all sure Chene ain’t gonna see this?
Ah read a lot of legal stuff. Court cases, lawsuits, government shit,
stuff y’all might find borin’. Ah won a boxin’ tourney back in the Army. It
weren’t pretty, but it was a win. Ah’m also a pretty good dancer, if it’s real
music.
A
thick steak, cooked rare, some fine Tennessee whiskey and… (chuckles) well,
y’all figger out the rest.
(hesitates
and exhales a plume of cigarette smoke, watching it drift toward the ceiling)
Chene’s awright. He’s stubborn. But my
daddy learned me long ago, y’all do better havin’ good people doin’ the heavy
liftin’. Chene’s smart. He kinda sees
around the corners, diggin’ out the answers. He’s awright…for a Yankee.
Buy links for "Why
319?"
https://www.amazon.com/dp/150921450X
https://books.apple.com/us/book/why-319/id1222126642
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/why-319-2
Buy links for "Your Turn to
Die"
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07MPPYY31/
https://books.apple.com/us/book/your-turn-to-die/id1449415728
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/your-turn-to-die-1
Music
English poet William Cowper (that's his photo above) wrote
“Variety’s the very spice of life, that gives it all its flavour’. Although I’m not much for poetry, I absolutely
agree with that statement. In this
space, I usually focus on one musician or group that has been cropping up in my
audio cycle, this time variety is taking charge.
Some of these selections are unusual. A bit different from what you’d grow to expect.
Here’s five favorites that popped up
lately.
The 5 Browns: Rhapsody in Blue
