Like many authors I get asked about the content of my novels. I’m always ready to spout forth the book blurb but, when I think about it, the stories are really about character. The crimes are just a bit of color added to the canvass. I just use crime as a vehicle to challenge my characters and readers with questions I deem important in life.
In The Scent of Fear the question became “what are you up against?” Life throws a lot of challenges at us. We may all one day face a litany of troubles like disease, finance, or the loss of a loved one but, few things are as vital as that of crime. Violent criminals present a danger that threatens our very existence. Unlike other challenges that can be handled over time; criminal acts require immediate reaction. Most of the time we face these dangers alone. Few things threaten our lives like a violent criminal. In that novel I chose to depict two distinct killers. One a professional assassin. The other a sadistic rapist. While their motives may vary the danger they represent did not. Like real violent predators they don’t see the world the way we do. They can not be reasoned with. They can not be bargained with. You can not appeal to their humanity or sense of right and wrong. They are devoid of compassion, empathy, and reason. They exist only for themselves. They take.
Hopefully you’ll never meet one of these demons but, it pays to recognize they exist. I’ve often told my readers that there is one simple message I want them to take away from The Scent of Fear. Evil exists in this world…be prepared to meet it. This is no trivial statement. How we react to the scent of fear may determine how we ultimately survive… if we survive. Sarah and Jenny react very differently than say Amy or Kimberly and that reaction makes all the difference. While encountering these dangers may be rare, you can’t afford to ignore the danger.
In Bloodlines the question becomes “what are you fighting for?” I don’t want to throw out any spoilers but there is a metaphor of the ‘silver box’. The contents of that box serve as a reminder to us to determine what’s important in our lives. What defines our character? I try to bring this concept together in the last few chapters of the book. Defining those things that you hold dear will strengthen your resolve and reveal the content of your character.
In the next novel (and final of this particular trilogy dealing with the Gerovit killer) the question will be “how does one fight evil without becoming evil?” It is a question that haunts many men and women charged with chasing monsters. The simplicity of the answer may surprise you but, I’ll leave that for the pages of the next book. These are vital questions. They are central to preserving our humanity. Someone once said that a knight in shining armor is a man whose never had his metal tested. Many of us struggle to do the right thing in life. Knowing what’s right and wrong isn’t always easy and doing the right thing can be scary. Character can serve as a compass to our dealings with each other. To meet a standard. To treat others as we wish to be treated . Without it we risk falling into the abyss and becoming that which we claim to despise. Character is the best armor against evil; please don’t forget that.
The day has finally arrived! So many people have helped me in this process and I am especially grateful to my new editors Brittiany and Lara at Written Dreams for all of their hard work. They put a lot of work into this project and made me feel at times like I was their only client. I really appreciated their diligence and efforts to preserve my voice. Bloodlines is the second book in the series about Sarah Richards and the challenges she must face to uncover the motive for the sniper killings in The Scent of Fear. Here is the back cover blurb…
CSI Sarah Richards is back in the heart pumping follow up to The Scent of Fear. Months after the assassination of Governor Hoines, a determined genealogist stumbles upon a conspiracy that threatens to expose a plot to reshape the nation by a rich and cunning family in Colorado. Now the Gerovit, an elite group of Russian assassins returns to destroy any evidence of the conspiracy. As Sarah’s mentor and his nephew Daniel crisscross the nation trying to unravel the genealogist’s coded journal, Sarah must discover how two double murders separated by a century are connected to the most powerful man in Colorado. But with enormous political forces, a team of killers, and her own department working against her, can Sarah unravel the clues before she becomes a part of history herself?
I want to say a special thank you to all my fans; new and old. I hope Bloodlines exceeds your expectations.
Watch the Book Trailer
Well, the release of Bloodlines is quickly approaching and I couldn’t be happier. It has been a labor of love to write this series and I am already busy at work on the third and final installment of this story (although Sarah & Co. have many more adventures to come)! I don’t want to give any spoilers but Sarah and friends will be tested in new and exciting ways as they try to bring someone to justice for the sniper killings in The Scent of Fear. If you haven’t read the first book, don’t worry. Bloodlines was written to stand on it’s own. Of course, it helps to have some of the back story but I think it’s still enjoyable and easy to follow. You’ll find some really interesting tidbits about Art and some layers of Daniel’s mysterious past will be peeled away. I hope you enjoy it and thanks again for all of the support.
I have to give special thanks to my new editor Brittiany at Written Dreams. She has been such a professional! She worked hard to maintain my voice and gave me a lot of great advice on shaping the characters and scenes. If you’re looking for a great editor I highly recommend her and her staff. I also want to thank Jerry Dorris with Author Support for another great book cover. I can’t imagine anyone better to work on my book covers. As I stated in my last post I add a lot of symbolism in my covers and Jerry has been very patient with me in getting all of my elements “just right”. Lastly, I wanted to thank Kevin MacLeod with Incompetech for providing a great selection of music to use in my trailer. He is very talented.
I hope to have Bloodlines available by mid-April. In the meantime, here is the blurb. More information to follow soon…
CSI Sarah Richards is back in the heart pumping follow up to The Scent of Fear. Months after the assassination of Governor Hoines, a determined genealogist stumbles upon a conspiracy that threatens to expose a plot to reshape the nation by a rich and cunning family in Colorado. Now the Gerovit, an elite group of Russian assassins returns to destroy any evidence of the conspiracy. As Sarah’s mentor and his nephew Daniel crisscross the nation trying to unravel the genealogist’s coded journal, Sarah must discover how two double murders separated by a century are connected to the most powerful man in Colorado. But with enormous political forces, a team of killers, and her own department working against her, can Sarah unravel the clues before she becomes a part of history herself?
I’ve debated writing about this for a while. It’s not that I’m embarrassed or ashamed; far from it. I just come from a school of thought that knowledge and understanding is more valued when it isn’t given away. You value something more if you earn it. That being said, I wanted to acknowledge some things that a few readers already suspect. My stories have a deeper message than what’s on the surface. Think of it as a mystery within a mystery. This is nothing new. Authors, poets, and musicians have been using symbolism, allegory, and parable for centuries. I’m not the first and certainly won’t be the last. I don’t make any claims of being wise or having the right answers. I get it wrong sometimes. But I strive to understand the world around me, and my place in it, just as I suppose some of you do. That struggle shapes our character and my stories in particular.
Having admitted that, I also want to say that I take great pains to write stories in such a way that they are first and foremost entertaining. I don’t want you to have to do any additional research to enjoy my novels. However, there are deeper lessons if you know how to spot them. I use a technique I call layering. Incorporating certain elements with more than one meaning. A casual reader probably won’t notice them but others will. For example, members of law enforcement, the military, or masonry may have a slightly different take away from a particular scene than someone without that life experience. As a writer it’s akin to walking a tightrope. I don’t want to preach but I do want some readers to have that “ah-ha” moment. It’s like finding a secret gem, a deeper message revealed to you that connects you to the story or characters in ways you hadn’t expected. These elements are everywhere.
Names, titles, colors, selections of music, locations…nothing is incidental. It takes a lot of work on my part to incorporate these elements but I find it rewarding. Take the cover colors for example. The Scent of Fear has a blue tint. The next book (coming soon) is red and the last novel of the trilogy will be white. Now some may associate those with the American Flag (also loaded with symbolism) but it is more of a happy coincidence. The colors blue, red (crimson), and white are symbolic in Masonry as well. The scene depicted on the cover of SOF is representative of the opening scene of the novel but it also represents the reality that when danger closes in we have only ourselves to rely on. We are physically alone. There are plenty of onlookers (trees) who stand by as benign observers to your plight as you struggle to survive. This is too often a sad reality of life. We’ve all heard stories of a woman in distress while everyone around them just stands around or worse, ignores her pleas for help. There are many recurring elements as well. Every title has dual meaning. I sign every SOF novel with the phrase “be fearless” for a reason. How we react to the scent of fear affects how we survive in this world. Sarah and Jenny react to fear differently than say Amy or Kim. Every book has a scene with an owl. What significance does the owl have to a particular scene and how do the other elements contribute to the characters actions?
At this point I don’t want to reveal too much. Like I said, I want the stories to be entertaining and if you never discover a deeper meaning I’m perfectly fine with that. I know they’re in there. That is enough for me. But, if as you read my novels you find that moment where you cock your head and wonder if something could have a deeper meaning you may be onto something. There are few accidents in life. I hope that you discover at least a few of them and that they remind you of those things important in your life. Your obligations and the things that bring you joy. That sounds kind of strange coming from a crime writer but even in the darkest of night there is a peace in knowledge that the dawn is approaching.
It’s been way too long since I’ve posted something to my web site! Frankly, I’ve been busy finishing the next novel and getting it ready for release in March. Sarah and company are in for quite a ride but more on that later. I’ve also been doing a lot of research, teaching, and making extra time for family and in all of that…time has gotten away from me. I’m working with a new (fantastic) editor and in revising my first draft it became apparent that perfection is quite elusive.
To be fair, my writing process involves what amounts to an information dump. Like barfing words onto the screen. I make an effort to minimize errors but they still occur. This is especially true if I’m writing a particularly tension filled scene or exchange of dialog. I get excited and my fingers take on a life of their own. That’s when the mistakes happen. That’s not the amazing part to me though. What’s amazing is that some of those mistakes can persist well into the editing process. It seems like I can read the same scene ten times over and still miss something simple. Mostly it happens with scenes that evoke strong emotions in me. I get a few paragraphs in and, the emotion begins to ramp up until I reach a crescendo. Then my editor highlights words like “tot he” and I feel like a complete idiot!
We’ve all been there right? That’s why we hire editors. If we could divorce ourselves from our work and view it in a purely clinical fashion we’d never need their services. It dawned on me one day that a similar process occurs with criminals committing a crime. Bear with me. Criminals sometimes have a plan (what writer’s call a plot) and they expect that plan to follow in a predictable fashion. A leads to B; B leads to C, and so on. As writer’s we do the same thing. While my overall story direction is outlined I’m an organic writer; especially with dialog. Things can happen while developing a story which take the plot in a new and exciting direction. When this happens to criminals (think of a burglar entering a house to find a Rottweiler he hadn’t planned on) they go off “plan”. That’s when the mistakes begin.
Even with premeditated or staged crimes, the criminal has a difficult time setting a convincing scene. There are just too many details and they don’t have the luxury of time that the professional CSI (editor) does. The CSI will dissect each and every element of that crime in the way an editor will deconstruct a plot, paragraph, or sentence. A criminal can plan for nearly every contingency, check the crime scene, or attempt to clean it up but they always miss something. The more complex the crime, the more likely a mistake will occur. The same is true of writing. It’s the nature of the beast.
So, if you’re a new writer like me don’t be too hard on yourself. Writing is a skill that takes time to develop. Getting it right the first time is exceptionally hard. If it weren’t, our jails would be empty. Surround yourself with a team of professionals who help you reach your potential. Above all, keep writing. It is through these mistakes that we learn to be better writers.
This, more than any other question, seems to dominate my initial conversations with friends and colleagues regarding my fictional heroine Sarah Richards. Being a former CSI I guess it’s natural for some to look for Sarah in the faces of my friends.
“Oh, I’ll bet Sarah is based on (insert name here) right?” Wrong.
Truthfully, I’m not sure I know the whole answer. Who is Sarah Richards? It’s a question I must ask with each turn of the page. A lot of folks are surprised to learn that I write a female protagonist. It’s less surprising when you realize that women out number men in the forensic sciences by nearly two to one. I’ve had the good fortune to work with some amazing women over the years who have taught me a lot about forensics, professionalism, and life in general. They have set an example to follow and challenged me to be a better criminalist, a better person. Truthfully, I couldn’t imagine telling this story from any other point of view. Not to diminish my brothers in forensics but, women seem to struggle with their own unique challenges in law enforcement. Obviously, women are not monolithic. As individuals they confront struggles and challenges to balance their personal and professional responsibilities in very different ways. Naturally I’ve drawn upon some of those experiences to shape Sarah but, in the end, she is a creation of my imagination.
Sarah certainly has plenty of challenges. No one seems to take her seriously. Her boss thinks a woman’s place is behind a desk. Her hoplophobic mother thinks a woman’s place is in the home, raising grandchildren, not immersed in a world of death and debauchery. Some colleagues are supportive of course but, others criticize her professionalism constantly. To be sure her youth, inexperience, and head strong nature conspire to land her in some troubling situations. Sarah can’t help but charge into the fray even if patience was the wiser course of action. She wants to get into the fight because she knows first hand the tragic cost of inaction. But, like a lot of young criminalists (myself included back in the day) she’s unprepared to grasp the depravity and evil mankind is capable of. I don’t care how many episodes of CSI:Vegas you’ve watched; nothing can prepare you for the gut wrenching reality of this work. Sarah is no exception and she has to find ways to cope with what she sees. Like every criminalist, she has to make sense of the real world, not the one depicted on prime time television. I feel like I learn something new about her with each chapter I write and that’s what intrigues me most about her character. Her ability to surprise even me.
I have over four dozen story ideas for this franchise. I’ll never get to all of them but I’m excited to see how Sarah handles the challenges I throw her way. Her values, her humanity, and especially her world view will be constantly tested. The crimes are just a background to me. The real story is how Sarah defines herself in the chaos along the boundary between good and evil. How she balances love, loss, and the unvarnished insecurity we all desperately try to rationalize. I hope that I do her character justice. She won’t have it easy that’s for sure. One thing I’m convinced of though is her ability to persevere. That is a quality she shares with many of the CSI women I know. I’ll bet you know a few strong women too.
At her core, that is who Sarah Richards is. Through all the good times and bad, through all the pain and discord, when the scent of fear threatens to crush her spirit…she fights back. She’s a survivor. She looks evil in the eye without blinking and kicks him right in the groin.
This past weekend I finished my draft of the next installment in this trilogy and I can tell you that Sarah will be tested in new and frightening ways. She’ll have to dig deep within her soul if she hopes to survive and in the end she’ll be forced to make a choice that could change her life forever. Stay tuned…updates will be forthcoming.
Just for fun, I want to invite you to take the poll in the right column of this page. Sarah will probably never grace the big screen but I’d like to see your choice anyway. Feel free to offer your own suggestions in the comments section or tell me what qualities you like in Sarah.
September in Colorado means cooler weather, fall colors, and the Colorado Gold Conference from the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers. This is one of my favorite conferences of the year. I love reconnecting with old friends, listening to great presenters, and learning new ways to improve my craft. I am always amazed at the talent in the room and feel pretty humbled just being among such talented writers. It’s one of those conferences where you learn just as much in the hospitality room as you do the classroom (and yo don’t have to pay for the hospitality)! This year I was privileged to present two hands-on workshops in forensics. On day one I offered a four hour mock crime scene workshop. I love these types of classes because I can design a realistic crime scene in a realistic setting. I could tell the students loved it too. We began by covering the basics of how a call out works, the duties of the criminalist, and issues of jurisdiction and search and seizure. Then the fun began! Students learned each step of the crime scene investigation from the initial walk-thru, crime scene photography, videography, sketching, and note taking. Then we moved on to crime scene search and reconstruction. I love watching students discover evidence for the first time; watching the gears turn in their heads as they put all the pieces together.
Students investigating a mock crime scene in a hotel room
Fingerprints developed with powder on the desk
Blood droplets on bathroom floor
I think the highlight of the class was using the alternate light source. CSIs will tell you that the last thing you want to do is shine one of these lights around a hotel room. The ultra-violet light makes semen and urine stains fluoresce and you quickly see how ineffective housekeeping is! I also seeded the scene with a few AFID tabs just to make it interesting. I don’t think anyone had ever seen any and it added a dimension to the investigation they weren’t expecting.
On day two I put together a short lesson on common fingerprinting techniques. We started with basic black powder and progressed into chemical reagents like Ninhydrin and fluorescent powders with an alternate light source. I wish I had two hours but one was good enough to get the basics down. I was blessed with inquisitive and highly motivated students for both presentations. Everyone who came to the classes came to learn and I can tell you that is the best an instructor can ask for.
