Credibility by J. S. Marlo

 

Wounded Hearts

"Love & Sacrifice #2"

is now available  

click here 

 

 

  

J. S. Marlo's BWL Books

Many years ago, I received a message from one of my readers. She was a scuba diver, and she loved stories that took place underwater, but she often found herself disappointed by how the divers were depicted. Still, she gave my novel Salvaged a chance.

Her "well-done" message was to tell me she knew I'd done my homework when I strapped weights to the belt of my female character before her dive.

The story was over seventy thousand words, but it only took five words to give credibility to my character: strapped weights to her belt.

Details are important to stories, and those details need to ring true to the readers who know what you're taking about--and there will always be one reader who knows better.

A beginner writer who's never seen snow asked me to review one of her scenes. It went pretty much like this:

The character left home and drove to the airport in the middle of a snowstorm. Lighting and thunder strike in the dark sky as the snow fell. The character landed an hour after leaving home.

Anyone reader who's ever driven in a snowstorm or flown anywhere is bound to notice the inconsistencies in that scene. Left uncorrected, the scene would have buried the story's, an author's, credibility deep in the snow.

I ended up exchanging lots of messages with that particular writer. Here's a few things any writer should take away from this scene.

Weather or Natural Disaster:

If there's a snowstorm, a tornado, a forest fire, a tsunami, etc... in your story, and you've never experienced such phenomenon, make sure you research it. No one is expected to know everything, that's why google exists.

In the middle of a snowstorm, the sky is kind of white, not dark. There isn't any lighting or thunder, but there can be lots of wind.

Severe weather often affect transportation, any kind of transportation. Plane, ferry, car, train...

If your character is flying somewhere during a snowstorm, his plane will likely be delayed, if not canceled. If if he's flying in the middle of a thunderstorm, the plane won't land or depart until there's no more lighting risk for the ground crew.

Before your character travels anywhere, you want to make sure it can be done under the weather conditions described in your story.

Elapsed Time or Time Zones:

Google Map and Airline Sites are great tools. They will tell you how long it takes to travel from Point A to Point B using different modes of transportation.

If you're traveling by car, and Google Map tells you it'll take ten hours, it's doubtful you'll be there ten hours later--unless you don't need to stop to fill up on gas, don't encounter traffic or construction, and don't need to pee or eat. So, remember to factor in the stops along the way.

If you're flying, and the flight is four hours, you won't arrive at destination four hours after leaving home. You need to drive to the airport, be there at least an hour ahead of time, and after landing, you may have to wait for your luggage or go through custom.

A character flying commercial cannot arrive at destination an hour after leaving home.

The greater the distance your character travels, the more time zones he/she will go through.

A non-stop flight from Calgary to Montreal is around 4 hours. If the plane departs at 2pm, it won't land around 6pm, it will land around 8pm, because there is a 2-hour time difference between Calgary and Montreal.

If a character living in Vancouver wants to chit-chat with his mother living in Finland, then the character may not want to call her after 1pm unless mom is a night owl, or it's an emergency. When it's 1pm in Vancouver, it's already 11pm in Finland.

Time zones affect not only travel but also communication.

The stories may be fictional, but they still need to be credible. The veracity of the details is important. It only takes a few words to hook -- or lose -- a reader.

Happy Reading & Stay Safe! J.S.

 

 

J. S. Marlo's Website

Like Catching Up With Old Friends by Eileen O'Finlan

 

Click here for purchase information

When I wrote Erin's Children, the sequel to Kelegeen, I really enjoyed revisiting the characters I'd spent so much time with. It felt like catching up with old friends. I met new friends, as well, as I introduced new characters in a new setting. As authors, we spend so much time with our characters both when we are and when we aren't actually writing that they become part of our lives. They live in our heads, tell us their secrets, dreams, ambitions, faults, and desires. We know the most personal things about each of them. When a novel is finished and sent off for publication it can be like saying goodbye to people to whom we've grown very close. So writing a sequel or continuing on in a series is a kind of reunion.

My current work in progress (The Folklorist - expected release date: October 1, 2023) is a stand alone. However, once that is finished, I plan to dive right into writing the second book in the Cat Tales series. I'm looking forward to reconnecting with Smokey, Autumn Amelia, and all the other animals in Wild Whisker Ridge and Faunaburg. There will be some surprises as Smokey and Autumn find out that there is more to their family than they knew. There will also be a wedding, but I'm not saying who's it is yet. I just know it will be loads of fun to write the next set of adventures for a group of characters who can't help but make me grin from ear to ear while I'm doing it.

At the same time, I will start the research for the book that will follow Erin's Children. I plan to focus on the next generation. Meg, Rory, Kathleen, and Nuala will still be there, and it will be wonderful to reconnect with them, but I'm also excited about finding out what their kids are doing with their lives. I'm also looking forward to learning more about the history of Worcester, Massachusetts (the city where I work and closest to where I live and where Erin's Children is set) and incorporating some of it into the story. 

I also have an idea for a fantasy that I plan to work on in between these two projects (could someone create a few more hours in the days, please?!) so I'll be meeting and getting to know all new characters and a whole new world. This is also very exciting. New friends are great, too! 

I hope my readers will enjoy catching up with the old friends and meeting new ones as much as I enjoy writing them.

                                                                           

               Click here for purchase information

Shelf Life by Eileen O'Finlan

 

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One way to know if you are a genuine bibliophile (aka bookworm) is by how much you love your bookshelves. This is more important than how many bookshelves you have. That could simply be determined by the amount of space available in your home. Therefore, it may not accurately project the depth of your love for books. It is more about how you feel when you look at the shelves you have. I have been known to spend time gazing lovingly at my shelves of books, taking them in as the things of wonder that they are. A warm, cozy feeling wells up in me as I contemplate my book collections. It's no surprise that I nearly swoon upon entering a library or bookstore. But the bookshelves I can view in the comfort of my own home are the best simply because they are mine. 

I have always dreamt of having a library in my house. Given the number of books I own, I suppose I do have one, but I mean one specific room dedicated to books. As yet, that is not a reality for me. Nonetheless, I take great pleasure in turning my entire house into a library. With the exception of the hallway, there is not a single room in my house that does not contain books. There are even a few shelves on the walls in the kitchen holding stacks of cookbooks. 

Despite the four bookcases in my living room...

     

                            (An antique from my grandmother's home holds non-fiction history books)

(A bargain at a second-hand store holds non-fiction and poetry)

                                                         (An online purchase hold fiction) 

(A rotating bookcase handmade for me by a very dear friend holds biographies)

... the shelves in the front entryway...

      This set of shelves holds a mix of fiction and non-fiction history books)

... the bookcase in my den...

(This one holds the books in use for research on the topic of whatever historical novel I'm writing at any give time.)

... the bookcase on the sunporch, and the five bookcases in my half-finished basement, I still have trouble finding places for all the books I collect so I've had to get creative.

The eight shelves lining either side of the fireplace once held a tea set, framed photos, and an assortment of knick-knacks. Four of those shelves have given up their accoutrement to make way for books.

(Mostly fiction on the shelves; Art & Photography books on one side of the mantel and Irish history on the other)

                                 

I have recently been thinking that I may have to find another spot for the tea set even if it means packing it away. There are too many books waiting for a good home. Many are currently piled in artful stacks around the house.

You may rightly ask if I've read all these books. Alas, I collect them much faster than I can read them. I also donate large amounts of books to the local library once I have finished reading them unless they are likely to assist me in research for a future writing project. This allows others to love them, too, and frees up space for more books. But no matter how full my bookshelves are, I find there's always room for more and even one small space on a shelf calls out to me for a book. This and the swelling of my heart that occurs when I take them all in, tells me that I am, without a doubt, a true bibliophile and proud of it!

                                                   

                       Click here for purchase information

BWL Publishing free book for April 2023 - The Trouble With Funerals by Joan Havelange

 CLICK THE LINK BELOW FOR A FREE COPY OF THE TROUBLE WITH FUNERALS

VISIT BWL'S WEBSITE TO DOWNLOAD A FREE PDF COPY OF THIS NOVEL

The trouble with funerals is there are too many of them. Mabel’s mother is convinced there is something nefarious going on at the senior’s condo ‘Gravenhurst Manor.’ She convinces her daughter to look into the death of her best friend, Mini, who died in suspicious circumstances. If there is a cold, calculating murderer at work. Mabel needs to find the killer before it’s too late. Her mother could be next. 

But what is the motive? Why would anyone want to kill a senior? And her main suspect has a perfect alibi, namely Mabel.

Her reliable sidekick Violet is no longer reliable. Violet may have gotten herself involved with a con-man. Against the backdrop of the peaceful little town of Glenhaven, Mabel’s challenge is to solve the motiveless murders; and save Violet from herself.

 

Bluebells by Rosemary Morris

To learn more about Rosemary and her books please click the image above.

Bluebells

Blessed with a vivid imagination, at the back of my mind I have an idea for a garden which plays a prominent part in a novel so I’ve been jotting down ideas. Like me, my heroine will rejoice when spring arrives, and she welcomes the blaze of colour from crocus, daffodils and narcissi. This month I welcome bluebells, enchanting flowers that bloom in gardens and beneath canopies of woodland trees.

As a child I buried my face in bunches of these fragrant flowers which I gave to my mother. Arranged in vases their bewitching scent seemed to cast a spell.  I remember picking bluebells which filled a room with bewitching perfume when my mother arranged them in a vase.one of many names for bluebells is ‘fairy flower’.

‘Fairy flowers’ are one of many nicknames for bluebells. In my fertile imagination I visualise them imagine their sweet perfume casting a spell over people walking in woodland. Folk law claims a carpet of bluebells in full flower indicates a magical place where fairies live. If I close my eyes, in my mind’s eyes I can see a delightful picture of a bluebell flower fairy.

According to legend, fairies are reputed to cast spells on the flowers left to dry if they are disturbed. Long ago children were told that if they picked bluebells they would be spirited away, and adults would be fated to wander forever in the woods. If an unlucky person heard the fairies ring bluebells when they gathered, he or she would soon die. A reason to nick name the flowers ‘dead men’s bells’.

Bluebells are toxic to those ancient myths discouraged people from touching them.  About half of the world’s bluebells grow in the U.K, and usually inhabit four-hundred years or more woodland. Not only do we look admiringly at them they attract bees, butterflies, and hoverflies. .

 

Character Inspiration #1: PRAIRIE by Julie Christen

 

This month I'll share a bit about my little buddy who was 100% the inspiration for Paisley Noon's (of Nokota Voices) faithful, no-nonsense, task master sidekick. Prairie. 

 If you've ever really loved a dog before, you know how they become a part of your family. Not LIKE a part of your family, but a true, human-in-fur, there-when-you-need-them, knows-you-better-than-you-know-yourself, oh-if-only-they-could-talk PART of your family.

That was what this little border collie mix was to me. In my real world, over 13 years ago, I named her Paisley. The human character of Nokota Voices came second. Though the human character was named after her, I chose to create Paisley Noon's sidekick dog as an embodiment of my real-world dog but gave her a fictitious name - Prairie. Confused? It's okay. Just know, I was surrounded with inspiration.

In truth, this fun little girl had lots of names that defined her character better than anything.

She had names like: Judgie McJudgerson, Girl Scout, Emergency Nurse Paisley, Tattletale, Fun-Wrecker, and Hamburglar (Her grumbly sound effect was uncanny!). Border collies do love to keep everyone and everything safe and in line. And they are quite owly about it if they can't.

We called her Molasses when she would walk through imaginary sludge to the tune of some funeral dirge into the kennel for the work day. There, she would have to co-exist with the other mouth-breathing Neanderthals (a dopey pointer and an oblivious chocolate lab).

But she also went by names like: Pretty Princess, Sweet Face, and Little Buddy. Though she wasn't everyone's cup-o-tea, with that endless border collie energy and too-smart-for-her-own-good attitude, she was perfect to me. We got each other.

Here's to my girl. She will live on in Forever Fields.

And in my heart.

To meet her, so she can become a part of your family, 

you can order a copy of Nokota Voices by going to 

https://bookswelove.net/christen-julie/ 

or 

My Website.

 

My Time Writing with Natalie Goldberg - Part 3 by Diane Bator

 

COMING SOON!!

https://bwlpublishing.ca/bator-diane/

As I wound down to the end of my Writing Down the Bones Course with Natalie Goldberg, I was struck by a couple things from the last couple videos. As writers, we always tend to weave little bits of ourselves into our work. In interviews and videos, we aren't always conscious of those things that we have already revealed. 

My favorite video in Natalie's series was the one where she discussed her sexuality. Not because it was salacious or revealing, but because it was so raw. So honest. So vulnerable.

Writers tend to forget to be raw and vulnerable in their work. We don't always dig deep to put ourselves in the shoes of our protagonists and let their emotions flow. Without digging deep, our characters fall flat. Sometimes we forget that we--and our readers--are living through those characters vicariously. We need to make them more human.

This course was something unexpected for me. In doing the writing practice, I discovered more about myself. It literally did change my life. So much so, I ended up making the decision to move across the country closer to family. Not everyone is pleased by the decision but you sure find out who your real friends are!

Since finishing the course, I've been paring down. Getting rid of everything I can't mail to Alberta or fit in my car. In two months, I will be loading my car with my clothes and two cats and driving across Canada.

Crazy? Maybe! But we're going to have one amazing adventure!

To follow along, find me on social media!  Find my links on:  www.dianebator.ca

Chat with you next month!

https://bwlpublishing.ca/bator-diane/

I found joy – as a jellyfish (and other aquatic animals) by donalee Moulton

Visit donalee Moulton's BWL author page for description and purchase 

As spring holds out the promise of summer, I thought I would share with you a bit about my self-care journey. This article, originally published in The Globe and Mail, explores how I ended up on a yoga mat, twisted, inverted, and smiling. 

There were several occasions in the last three decades when I took a yoga class, four by my latest count. Nothing stuck for more than 60 minutes. Now I’m on the mat (as we, ahem, like to say) four or five times a week.

Not sure what happened between decades three and four, but here I am today in my 60s actively seeking out a yoga flow class, searching YouTube for restorative practice and talking retreats with new-found friends. I have blocks, straps, pillows, bolsters, blankets and mats in many colours, designs and grips. I even have a plastic frog in full lotus. Truth is, I have a yoga room.

I’m not an exercise person. I have never had the desire to scale mountains, ski down or hike mountainous terrain. I’m equally averse to water aerobics: surfing, paddling, polo. Give it all the cool names you want – finswimming, aquajogging, wakeskating – and I’m staying on terra firma.

Fact is, I’d rather have an enema than exercise.

Actually, that was the old me. The new me would rather do a downward dog.

I’m not sure which came first – not being good at sports or not being interested in sports. They are indelibly intertwined, like chicken and egg or the yoga pose eagle arms and legs (which I can do).

Regardless, here I am, sports unenthusiast. I want to be healthy. What I’ve never wanted is to work at being healthy because it’s boring and hard (so I had come to believe). Yet, periodically I would propel myself to some gym, some piece of equipment, or even some yoga mat to get my body in shape.

In the case of yoga, that lasted for a full 240 minutes over 30 years. (In the case of lifting weights, running on the treadmill, aquacise, the number is much, much lower.)

The turning point in my yoga journey, it turned out, was around the corner from where I live. An instructor started renting studio space in a new building, and my aunt and I decided to give it a try. We liked it. We really liked it.

I’m not sure why. It may be the variety of poses we learned, that each class was new and different, that we got to know participants. But I had all that before. The reason, I discovered, is not important. The reality is.

At some point, actually several points, my body responded in ways it never had before. My feet touched the mat, both of them, when I did a downward dog; my hands (both of them) held each other doing a bound side angle.

I also noticed a marked improvement in my knee. My doctor had diagnosed a tear in my meniscus and wished me well. When I couldn’t complete a yoga pose because of it, an instructor recommended putting something like a sock between my knee and my bent leg. It worked. As I spent more time on the mat, I used the sock less and less. Today, I get no complaints from my knee, and use socks only to cover my feet.

It wasn’t only my knee that got better. My strength, my balance and my flexibility improved.

Perspective changes on the mat. There is a common yoga pose called child’s pose. You put thighs on calves, buttocks on heels, and fold yourself into a ball. It’s supposed to be a resting position, one you come to after other poses have offended your body in ways you didn’t know existed. For most of us, child’s pose is, at first, the farthest thing from a rest primarily because there is a wide gap between our bottom and our heels. Most of us accommodate, as yoga teaches us. We shove bolsters, blankets and blocks under our rear to close the gap. Still a faint wisp of failure lingers.

I’m in an extended child’s pose during one class and realize I’m enjoying this fetal shape. I am relaxed, breathing deeply, and feeling something new: contentment. I tried to figure out what had shifted and realized, in part, the answer was physical. My rear end was not pointed heavenward; it was nestled on my feet. I was a ball without the need of a bolster.

There are those poses that continue to confound. My legs refuse to rearrange themselves into a lotus, although they are inching closer. Crow pose eludes me. Both feet refuse to come off the floor, but one will, so I’m making progress. And there are those poses I have yet to attempt. Their names will tell you why: formidable face pose, handstand scorpion, destroyer of the universe.

Overall, however, I find a sense of peace and contentment in many poses and in my practice. Indeed, I find more than this. Yoga has taught me that practice is about more than positioning the body. It is about body, mind and spirit. It is about connecting with yourself. It is about finding balance. It is about going to the edge, but not over the cliff. It is about acknowledging growth and recognizing limitations. It is about joy. The joy that comes from sitting on a mat with your heels stuffed into your bottom and your heart soaring.

Ultimately yoga has taught me patience and acceptance. The fundamental reality of any practice is this: yoga teachers cannot count. They put you in a pose, say warrior II, then they suggest you place your right shoulder against your inner thigh while extending your left arm toward the ceiling, bending your elbow, bringing your left arm behind you, and clasping your right hand. It’s like scrubbing the floor while looking at mold on the ceiling.

I can actually do this. And I can hear my yoga instructor saying, “Hold for three breaths,” just before launching into a tale about their morning drive to work. Three minutes later – not three breaths – we unbind and unbend. All yoga teachers are trained to do this.

When instructors tell you to hold for five breaths – a lifetime when your hips are squared, your shoulders flexed, and your legs interwoven – they are lying. Admittedly, they are well intended. Some even come with timers, beacons of false hope.

In the end, it doesn’t matter. I am on the mat, moving in sync with my breath, finding my body moving with me (or against me) and I’m okay with that. I have learned the challenging poses – lizard, dolphin, fish – are friends. We meet here on this rectangular piece of vinyl, and I take pieces of them with me when I roll up my mat, put away my straps and head out the door.

The joy of having been for a time an aquatic animal infuses and informs. It is so much more than legs splayed, ankles nestled, arms extended. And holding for five delicious breaths.

Ish.

BWL Publishing New Releases for April 2023

 

Click to purchase The Gooey-Duck Fountain

Just when Josie, a woman in her mid-eighties begins to think that she has become as redundant as a clam shell, a stranger needs her help. Once again she finds that her life has a purpose. Then, when she, her granddaughter, Fern, and her sister, Grace, all agree to accompany the stranger on a trip to a ranch in the Cariboo, they have no idea of the danger that awaits them. That’s when the three women, with a little help from a handsome young man who admires Fern, manage to solve a mystery that has plagued the stranger for years.  Josie has had an adventure she will never forget and she returns to her life in the Comox Valley with enough excitement to last her for a lifetime.      

 

This story has romance for both the young and the elderly, humor, and mystery. It begins on the beach at Kye Bay in the Comox Valley on Vancouver Island and continues at a ranch in the Cariboo. 

 

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Click here to purchase Sudden Turn

Freelance reporter Ginger Martel loves the thrill of chasing down edgy human-interest stories for her popular newspaper column, People Unlimited. Now, hot on the trail of a story that could well earn her a second media award, Ginger undertakes her latest adventure with characteristic pluck, but she is unprepared for the sudden turn that awaits her.

 

Hostage negotiator Shane Elliott, handsome and self-possessed, has his own share of challenges, a dead wife and a difficult past. When the frantic 9-1-1 call comes in that stormy Saturday night, he must try to unravel yet another potentially deadly situation. Sudden turns are at the top of his job description, and they’re what he was born to expect.

 

Can he save the day yet again, or does fate have something else in store this time around?

---

 

 

Click here to purchase The Right Road

Digging up the past can be murder.

Adam Norcross has recently returned from a foreign assignment. Bent on settling his mother’s estate, Norcross is interrupted by his boss for a new task. Find RCMP Sergeant Bethany Leith. He also wants to know how her career has gone so wrong she is suspended.

 

When Adam tracks Beth to her parent’s farm in Saskatchewan they are drawn into a suspicious death investigation on her family’s land. Norcross knows it’s murder. The victim is someone Nick Leith, Beth’s father, has a troubled history with. What about the archaeologist team digging on the same property, are they involved?

 

Norcross will use every tool at his disposal to solve the murder and help Bethany Leith. Including navigating his way through the political intrigue surrounding the case against her.

 

Trash and Treasure by Priscilla Brown

 

 

 

 

 While crossing the street,  Cassandra quickly steps back to avoid being run over by Alistair's hunky sports car. A skyscraper heel is a casualty in a drain. Snap! Should she condemn this now trashed pair of shoes to the garbage? But they are treasured, and she doesn't want to throw them away. She could do with a silver lining in her life. 

 

 

https://books2read.com/SilverLinings 

 

 

 

In my local area, three or four times a year the council arranges a collection of items which either are not allowed or don't fit into the usual bins. So at the moment the grass verges in front of the houses hold a variety of  unwanted items waiting for the council truck sometime this week. I really do have something better to occupy my time, but I admit to being intrigued by what people throw out. From my study window overlooking the street, I noticed an armchair with threadbare arms and seat cushion. Could this not be repaired/renovated?  Does it have a history? Was it loved by the person who had  relaxed in it?  I could write a story about this chair. On the second day it was out, two men in a small truck loaded it, I'd like to think they would fix it up and give it a longer life. Two mattresses are clearly unpopular as now, four days into trash awaiting council removal, they are still there. A small white-painted item with three shelves attracted me as yet another place to stash my large treasure of  books and magazines. But before I decided I could find room for it, overnight it disappeared. Someone's trash had found a hopefully good home.

 

I use this trash or treasure option in my contemporary fiction writing.  My first draft usually contains a trashy plot. Should these characters demonstrate more appropriate behaviour and lifestyles? Can this be rewritten into something readable? Or is it destined for the computer's recycle bin? Eventually it may be revived with new ideas and patience, and end up as what for me as the author is a treasured piece of creative writing.

Enjoy your reading, best wishes, Priscilla

 

https://bwl[publishing.ca 

  

https://priscillabrownauthor.com

 

 

Real Life Events that Inspire Works of Fiction

 

Visit Eden Monroe's BWL Author page for book details and purchase information 

Many  works of fiction are inspired by real life events, the seed that brings the story life. 

Such was the case with the novel, Sudden Turn. Like the heroine, Ginger Martel, I worked for many years as a freelance reporter. Freelancing is a wonderful experience with no shortage of adventures available for the taking. If I could imagine an interesting story, no matter the subject , I’d find the assignment and do it. Since I have a particular interest in law enforcement I was given any number of exciting opportunities … from flying in helicopters, hitching rides on deep sea patrol vessels and participating in training exercises, to rappelling, firing weapons both real and virtual, and doing countless police ride-alongs. Another favourite subject of mine, as it is with most people, is animals. Outside of the usual assortment of amazing domestic animals I recall fondly my close-up experiences with wallabies, emus, ostriches, a tiger and a whole herd of Plains bison. So much fun.

I have also had the enormous pleasure of interviewing hundreds of fascinating people of every age from all walks of life and political stripes. Each and every one had a great story to tell and I loved hearing them. I literally had the time of my life doing that.

And since I already had a full-time job in the legal field when I first began to freelance, before I went at it full-time in 2001, I did most of my interviews during evenings, weekends, personal vacations and public holidays. That was basically the equivalent of working two full-time jobs, but not one single word of complaint, not ever.

And since one of the newspapers I wrote for was a rural publication, I’d often find myself in remote areas, and working evenings I was sometimes searching in the dark for a particularly isolated address. Most of the time I took my own photos, which meant I was travelling alone. You go where the story is, meet people where they are and the more colourful the better. Embrace the quirky with the mainstream. There is a definite high to chasing down a good story. I always felt it; sought it out. There is the unknown in any situation in life; freelancing is no different and that always provided a powerful impetus for me.

So it’s entirely reasonable to assume, considering the aforementioned, that some situations were a bit risky. And it’s probably not surprising I suppose that I eventually found myself in Ginger’s shoes, in an isolated location in the home of a man who refused to let me leave when the interview was over. Of course after a couple of hours I was able to resolve it on my own, thank God, and once I was safely on my way I simply stuffed it away as a not so great experience and moved on. I certainly had no intention of changing the way I was doing things. I also didn’t want to be restricted moving forward and I probably would have been if I’d told anyone about what had happened.  I wanted to keep doing what I was doing, the way I was doing it. There are risks with anything in life and plenty of not-so-great experiences, but there’s also more than enough positive to provide counterbalance.

Years passed and it was while taking a Master Class featuring former FBI lead international kidnapping negotiator, Chris Voss, that an idea for a book began to take root. Chris Voss is an incredibly dynamic individual and I found the subject of high-stakes negotiation fascinating. The class was a complete pleasure for me. Not only was the subject matter compelling, but I could listen to that voice of his all day long, perfectly modulated and highly persuasive. Quintessential cool. As a novelist, I knew I had to do something in that way with what I was learning from Mr. Voss. That’s the moment when the marriage of the two elements actually took place. The first being to draw from the experience I’d had as a freelancer when I’d been held in that man’s home against my will, and the second would be a hostage negotiator brought in to save the day. Perfect!

Before I actually started putting pen to paper though I not only completed that Master Class with Chris Voss, but followed it up by reading books on the subject of hostage negotiation (including that written by Chris Voss and Tahl Raz) and the underpinnings of negotiating in general. Then I felt ready to begin.

And so I started to write Sudden Turn. I well remembered the details of that unfortunate freelancing ordeal, but when I opened that door I hadn’t expected the anxiety of that awful night to come roaring back as though it had happened yesterday, the emotions that were unearthed. Now that I’d decided to relive it for the sake of the book, that whole incident was replayed in my mind in vivid detail. The what if’s. It was now front and centre again because I had unwittingly forced myself to deal with it; realizing with startling clarity how very lucky I’d been to get out of there on my own because it could so easily have gone the other way.

Something that still haunts me about that night was when I asked him: “Will those dogs attack me when I go to my car?” His answer was: “They will if I tell them to. Yes.” I will never forget those chilling words or the look in his eyes that told me he meant what he was saying. But for the grace of God I’d have been in Ginger’s exact position and I would not have wanted to go through what she did.

That incident provided the seed for Sudden Turn, and the story grew and deepened into the total nightmare it could have become in real life had it played out that way.

I wrote the newspaper story at the time with no mention of what took place following that interview, because I didn’t want to deal with it. It was as simple as that. It seemed like a good way to handle it at the time, so that’s what I did.  I buried it, but like any truth it will eventually be told and so now it has been, in Sudden Turn.