What Goes on Behind the Curtain?

by Debbie Burke

When you read mystery or suspense stories, do you ever wonder how the author came up with the villain?

Villains fascinate us because they do things we don’t dare to do. Most of us are constrained by conscience and fear of consequences. But that doesn’t stop villains. They lie, cheat, steal, kill, or worse.

How does a regular law-abiding person (like me) get away with murder without going to prison?

I write fiction.

Today, as an author of eight thrillers, I’m going to pull the curtain aside and let you in on secrets of how I write about bad guys.

In real life, I’ve never met a terrorist who wants to destroy the electric grid; or a glamorous con artist who scams seniors; or a prison warden who makes deep fake videos to frame an innocent woman. Yet those sinister, despicable, ruthless folks came to life in my stories.

Most writers (including myself) have never killed anyone, so you might wonder how they get inside the skin of a murderer.

By asking questions.

Have you ever been wronged? Did someone else get a job or recognition you deserved? Did a trusted friend or family member betray you? Are you furious with an abuser who victimized a loved one? Have you ever thought: I’m going to get back at that #$@&%!

If you answered yes, you’ve experienced universal human emotions. By tapping into feelings of anger, betrayal, jealousy, and revenge, I find the seeds of a compelling villain. Then I push the character to emotional extremes to the point where they step over the line that most of us don’t cross.

Villains in my books have motives, reasons, and justifications for their actions. Once I understand why they’re driven, I create situations where they act out those feelings in ways that harm others.

The most memorable villains aren’t mustache-twirling cartoons. Rather, they are tormented humans driven by wants and needs that compel them to act in anti-social ways. My favorite bad guys make the reader think: there but for the grace of God go I.

Mystery authors hide the villain in the shadows, behind the curtain in the story. Readers follow the hero, who searches for clues while trying to figure out the villain’s identity. At the end, the criminal is revealed, and the mystery is solved.

In contrast, suspense and thriller authors often tell the reader who the villain is early in the story. The reader’s question changes from “Whodunnit?” to “Is the bad guy going to get away with it?”

While writing, I follow villains behind the scenes. What strategy do they use to escape detection? How do they sneak up on the hero? Do they need to commit another crime to cover the first? What is the payoff for their misdeeds?

In my newest book, Deep Fake Double Down, the villain at first appears to be the loving father of an autistic son. He learns how to make deepfake videos to entertain the child. But he’s also a prison warden who operates a secret sapphire mine inside his facility and needs to hide his illegal profits.

In the story, I explore how deep fake videos can create false evidence. Even scarier is how easy it is to do.

In the past, one had to be a technological wizard to make convincing false video. Not anymore. With revolutionary AI software, now almost anyone can create bogus footage.

Deepfakes began to hit the news a few years ago. Video was released of the Ukrainian president supposedly ordering his troops to surrender. A fake explosion at the Pentagon caused stock market jitters.

Every day, more deepfakes come to light. Recently, Twitter/X shut down all searches for Taylor Swift because of viral fake videos. Oprah and Kelly Clarkson decried fake videos that showed them touting weight loss products they didn’t endorse.

In the era of deep fakes, what you see with your own eyes isn’t necessarily real. That became the theme of my story.

The prison warden’s scheme to steal sapphires is going fine until an inmate’s murder threatens to expose the illegal activity. Now he’s desperate to silence a female guard who witnessed the death. He creates fake videos that frame the woman. When he releases them to social media, they go viral. After millions watch her committing crimes, how can she prove she’s innocent?

The villain doesn’t start out as a terrible person—he’s stealing sapphires to provide care for his son’s lifetime needs. But greed gets the better of him. Soon he’s crossed the line where he’ll do anything to keep from being caught. Will an innocent woman pay the ultimate price for his crimes? The answer can be found in Deep Fake Double Down.

A friend often comes up with ideas he says I should write about (lookin’ at you, Steve Hooley!). He suggested I write a craft guide that shows authors how to create villains. His brilliant idea became a book called The Villain’s Journey. It’s currently under consideration by agents and I hope it will be published soon.

While researching the book, I asked readers who their favorite villains are and why those characters are memorable.

Today, I’d like to ask you the same questions. If you answer in the comments section, you’ll be entered in a free drawing for a legacy wood pen that Steve created.

He handcrafted this gorgeous pen especially for Deep Fake Double Down, with the rich blue finish of Yogo sapphires, the secret treasure in the story.

Steve, thank you for giving me a chance to reveal a peek behind the curtain on your blog. I appreciate the beautiful pen, and, most of all, your friendship!

Questions:

Who is your favorite villain from fiction?

Why did he or she make a lasting impression on you?

Answer in the comments section and you could be the lucky pen winner!

***

Read samples of Debbie Burke’s thriller series at her website: debbieburkewriter.com

Her books are available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple, Kobo, and other major booksellers. Or ask your favorite independent bookstore to order paperbacks.

Debbie also writes for the popular crime blog The Kill Zone and news journals.

Email: debbieburkewriter@gmail.com

A little history on the 1773 Tea Party Pens:

The Logan County, Ohio, courthouse, built in 1870, was damaged by a windstorm in June of 2012. The entire clocktower was removed and rebuilt. The timbers were White Pine. I was able to collect some of the wood.

In reviewing the history of white pine, I learned that the timber was most likely harvested in northeast Ohio. Trees could easily reach 200 years of age, with 40-inch diameters, and 150 feet of height. Before the Revolutionary War, the best white pine trees in New England were marked by the British and used as masts for the Royal Navy.

The beams from the courthouse clock tower were over 100 years old, and possibly 200 years. That means they were growing in 1773, the year of the Boston Tea Party. So, the 1773 Tea Party Pine Pens were designed to commemorate the Boston Tea Party and the beginning of the quest for freedom.

The pens are made with the antique wood from the Logan County courthouse timbers.

The Antique Brass kits:

The wood is stained with a dark tea-colored stain on each end, symbolizing the coming musket fire and smoke of the Revolutionary War. The center band of the barrel is painted with red acrylic symbolizing the British red coats. The pen is coated with two coats of urethane varnish for protection and to add the warm amber background, then coated with a super glue wet gloss finish. The pen is assembled in an antique brass kit. This pen takes six days to make.

The Antique Silver kits:

The wood is “white washed” (grain filled) with white acrylic, then covered with a clear polycrylic sealer. After drying, the sealer is sanded back to give the wood a weathered look. The bands are cut, burned, and painted with red and blue to create the red, white, and blue of the new flag. After drying, the pen is covered with another two coats of a thick, clear, water-based varnish, then sanded and topped with a wet-gloss super glue finish. This pen also takes six days to make.

To sign up for the drawing, simply leave a comment.

If the comment box does not appear at the bottom of the blog, click on “Leave a Comment” at the top under the title.

Last month I introduced two authors, Kay and Debbie.

Today we are honored to have Kay DiBianca with us to tell us more about her writing and her books.

Kay DiBianca is an award-winning author who loves to create literary puzzles in the mystery genre for thoughtful readers to solve. Her characters come to life as they struggle to solve murders and create relationships amidst the ongoing themes of faith and family.

An avid runner, Kay can often be found at a nearby track, on the treadmill, or at a large park near her home. You can usually find one of her characters training or racing through her stories.

Kay’s background in software development fuels her fascination with mysteries, and her dedication to running helps supply the endurance and energy to write them.

Kay and her husband, Frank, live, run, and write in Memphis, Tennessee.

***

Welcome, Kay. Thanks for joining us today and telling us about your writing.

How would you describe the type of mysteries you write?

I write cozy mysteries. Cozies obey certain rules of writing. There’s no explicit violence, although there’s usually a murder or a possible murder that takes place off-stage. Also, there’s no explicit sexual content, although the author can allude to things that are happening, but not give a graphic description. 

Some cozies deal with paranormal content like ghosts or spirits, but my books are grounded squarely in reality. The underlying theme is always the search for truth. 

Since I want my books to be described as “clean mysteries,” I don’t include any profanity. 

What life events led to your interest in writing?

I’ve always been interested in writing, but life events led me in another direction. My professional career was in software development, and it left little time to take on the major task of writing a novel. But after I retired, I became more and more interested in writing stories that had been floating around in my mind for a long time. It was while I was out running one day and listening to an audiobook mystery that I decided I could write a mystery as good as the one I was listening to. Maybe that’s why the first chapter of my first novel describes a young woman running a five-miler in a park. 

I noticed that the theme of time and time-keeping devices runs through your stories. Is there a reason for this?

I don’t remember why I included the watch as a central part of the first book in my series. But once I had decided on it, I got very interested in the subject of time. Watches and clocks remind me that we should use our time wisely while we’re on this earth. 

Why did you set your series in close proximity to a college campus?

My husband was a college professor before he retired, and we’ve spent much of our long marriage in and around college campuses, so it was natural for me to include characters and settings that reflect our experiences. Whenever we travel to cities that have a university, we’ll spend some time just walking the campus. It’s like a small universe in itself. 

What projects are you currently working on?

Since my third book, Time After Tyme, was recently released, I’ve spent much of my time in December working on posts to Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram to get the word out. And I expect to spend time in January with a launch group to highlight the book. I also write bi-weekly blog posts for the Kill Zone Blog. 

What projects do you have planned for the future?

I hope to publish a couple of short stories early in 2022, and maybe start the fourth book in the Watch series.  

Where do you hang out on social media or blogs? Or where can readers find you to ask questions or interact with you?

I love to hear from readers. They can contact me through my website at kaydibianca.com.  

My website blog is devoted to monthly interviews with authors discussing the craft of writing. This year’s interviews are with mystery, suspense and thriller authors. As you know, you will be my interview guest in February, and I’m looking forward to hearing about your writing journey. 

Here are some of my other links: 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Kdibianca 

Facebook; https://www.facebook.com/kay.dibianca/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kdibianca/ 

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/kay-dibianca 

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18490743.Kay_Dibianca 

Where can people sign up for your newsletter?

They can sign up on my website at kaydibianca.com. 

Do you have any current deals or discounts on your books?

I put books on sale occasionally, so folks can watch for those. The audio of my second book, Dead Man’s Watch, is on sale at chirpbooks.com now through January 22 for 99 cents. 

What else should we know about you and your writing?

I’d like people to know how grateful I am to have the time and means to write books. My goal is to write excellent novels that are both entertaining and thought-provoking. That’s a high hurdle to jump over, but I’ve always loved a challenge. I look forward to connecting with you and your readers in the future.

Thanks, Kay, for joining us today and telling us about your books and writing. This has been very interesting.

Thank you, Steve, for giving me this opportunity. 

To leave a comment, click on the “Replies” line at the top (under the title).

Today I have something special for you – information on new authors and new books.

Meet My Partners in Crime

Today, I’m happy to introduce you to a couple of mystery authors I respect a lot, Kay DiBianca and Debbie Burke. We all write crime fiction but with different slants. As Partners in Crime, we conspire to write the very best mystery, suspense, and thriller novels. And many of our eBooks are on sale for $0.99.

~~~

Kay DiBianca is an award-winning novelist and blogger on The Kill Zone blog. Her cozy mystery series, the Watch Series, features half-sisters Kathryn Frasier and Cece Goldman, two amateur sleuths who solve murders while navigating through life’s challenges. The books are clean, entertaining, and thought-provoking. Connect with Kay at kaydibianca.com

Website: kaydibianca.com  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kay.dibianca/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Kdibianca

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kdibianca/

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Kay-DiBianca

~~~

Debbie Burke is a suspense novelist, award-winning journalist, and blogger at The Kill Zone website. Her Tawny Lindholm Thrillers with Passion series plunges crime-solver Tawny into fast-paced twisty plots with quirky characters and snappy dialogue, set against the rugged scenery of Montana.

Website: https://debbieburkewriter.com   Twitter: https://twitter.com/burke_writer

Amazon Author Page     Major Online Booksellers

~~~

Steve Hooley is a retired physician, writer, and blogger at The Kill Zone blog. He is the author of seven short stories published in four anthologies. He recently completed a Vella serial fiction on Amazon’s Vella platform, and is currently working on the Mad River Magic series – clean, wholesome, fantasy adventures for advanced middle-grade to adults – stories young people enjoy reading, parents approve of, and grandparents love to give as gifts.

Available at Amazon  Google Books  Kobo  and Apple Books.

More details available at: https://stevehooleywriter.com/mad-river-magic/

~~~

Special thanks to Ben Lucas, the Twitter King who creates great social media banners for us! Watch for Ben’s new thriller in 2022. 

Hi, this is Gramps. The author of The Hemlock Aperture asked me to interview Scout (Leighton), because Scout is so busy that the author thought Scout wouldn’t hold still long enough to write out a description of his personality. And if he did, he’d take apart the computer or type writer to see how it works.

So, about Scout: Scout is my oldest grandchild. I know him well. He and his sister, Bug (Averie), live closer than the other grandchildren, so Gram and I see them more often, even during the “off season” (seasons other than the summer when all the grandkids come to stay at Cedar Heights).

Scout is two years younger than Bolt (the red-headed daredevil on crutches who lives next door and leads the Mad River Magic gang), and they have have been companions ever since Bolt and his mom moved to our neighborhood. And, wow, can the two of them find trouble. And if they don’t find it, they make it.

Here’s Scout. Let me try to catch him before he takes off.

Gramps: Scout, let’s sit down and talk.

Scout: What are we talking about, Gramps? I need to get back down to the tractor shed. Bolt and I are working on some mini-turbo-levitators so our barrel carts can do stunts.

Gramps: And what kind of stunts are you talking about?

Scout: You know, those neat tricks where the plane flies upside down, or—

Gramps: We’ll talk about that later. I’m not sure that’s a good idea.

Scout: I told Bolt you wouldn’t let us do that, because it’s dangerous stuff. I just think it would be awesome to be able to design an aerobatic cart that actually works.

Gramps: Don’t you think your carts can do enough stunts already?

Scout: Huh? (He looks out the window toward the tractor shed.) Gramps, I need to get back to Bolt.

Gramps: I think you can take a few minutes to tell us about yourself. The author of the first book (The Hemlock Aperture – the story about your adventures in the Strata), wants you to tell readers about you, what you’re like. Okay?

Scout: Why do I need to do that? And what’s there to tell? Okay, okay. Let’s get this over with. I like to explore here in the enchanted forest. I like to take things apart and see how they work. I like to go on adventures with Bolt, and invent solutions to trouble we get into. What else? Now, can I go? (Scout stands to leave.)

Gramps: Hold on a second. (Gramps pulls Scout back into his seat.) Tell us about your family.

Scout: (sighs) I have a younger sister and a dog. Mom and Dad work long hours. There’s always excitement and lots of activity at our house. It gets kind of noisy sometimes, with the dog running through the house and me and Bug chasing him.

Gramps: So you like noise and chaos.

Scout: (looks at Gamps with a contemplative look and pushes his dark glasses back up his nose) No, I actually like it better here with peace and quiet in the woods, and lots of things to take apart or build, and a shop with tools to work on stuff.

Gramps: Like that gizmo you have in your pocket?

Scout: (quickly shoves something deeper into his pocket) What gizmo?

Gramps: (laughs) What are you hiding?

Scout: Nothing. It’s just a tool we’re using to work on the turbos.

Gramps: Something tells me I need to know what you’re inventing. Show it to me.

Scout: (reluctantly pulls a device out of his pocket and hands it over to Gramps) It’s nothing.

Gramps: This looks suspicious for a remote control. I thought you said you were working on the turbos.

Scout: We are.

Gramps: (rubs his chin) Are you rigging the turbos to fly the carts with the remote?

Scout: (A loud buzz passes over the council house. Scout grabs the remote control from Gramps and runs for the front door.) We already have. I need to get that cart landed safely before it crashes. (He slams the door.)

Gramps: (runs after Scout and looks back as he exits the front door) I think this interview is over.

Hi. My name is Regan G, or as Bolt calls me, Rey, but my real name is Regan. Mom and Dad say that I shouldn’t give out my last name for safety reasons.

I guess my family calls me “Rey” for short and maybe because my hair is blond. You know, like a ray of sunshine.

Before I get started, I would like to say that Scout should have gone next (with this introduction thing), since he is the oldest cousin, but the author must be like Gramps with the boy-girl thing. Since Bolt went first, I guess I have to go next, since I am a girl. He wants boy – girl – boy – girl. Whatever.

Anyway, I’ll try to keep this short, since I need to get back to Gramps’ secret library. I’m researching one of the old wizard’s books, looking for a way to keep the boys quiet at the supper table. You’d think we could have a little peace and quiet once in awhile. But, no, Bolt and Scout have to carry on like savages and brag about everything they “conquered” that day.

I really think Gram would appreciate a little more sophistication, too, but I guess she’s given up. Anyway, if I find that spell, the boys will have their tongues tied when they sit down to supper.

Okay, what else should I tell you about myself? I like to dance and do gymnastics. I like to read. I like to meet with the girls when the boys aren’t allowed to attend. And, yes, I guess I like to challenge Bolt sometimes. He’s the oldest of the group and thinks he should be in charge. Well, I’m the oldest of the girls, so I should have some say so, too. Bolt just thinks he can take charge. Sometimes he needs to be taken down a notch or two. I think that’s how Gram says it.

And every once in awhile, when it’s been a busy day, I need to get away and have some quiet time. Maybe that’s why I like Gramps’ secret library, it’s quiet and there’s usually no one else there. I guess Bolt did discover how to get in. Maybe Gramps will allow me to check out the books and take them to my room. Then I’ll convince him that I need a lock on my door. Anyway.

Oh, yes, besides reading the magic books, I really enjoy using the magic. It’s like having a special power. It was really fun, surprising Bolt with my magic spells on our trip to the Strata.

Maybe I’ll write more later, but I think that is enough for now. Thank you for your interest. I’m off to study the tongue-tying spell. Have a good day.

Hi. My name is Bolt. I mean Bolt Owen. Gramps says we should be precise. But you can call me Bolt.

That crazy author of the book—I think the title is “The Hemlock Aperture”—said I should introduce myself. It seems to me that he should do the introductions since he wrote the book. Anyway, I ‘ll tell you a little about myself. If the author wants more than that, he can tell you himself.

So, I suppose I should start at the beginning with my name, Bolt, and how I got my name. We’ll start with that.

It was a dark stormy night. Yeah, really. It was raining cats and dogs. Lightning was flashing across the black cloudy sky like a jagged spear. Now I wasn’t born yet to see this, but my mom tells me this is what happened, and I believe her. See, she was in labor and about to deliver me. I guess with intense situations like that, people remember a lot of things.

Anyway, she had made it to the hospital in time. My dad drove. She was in the back seat screaming, “Hurry up. I’m about to have this baby.” The nurses took us (Mom and Dad, and me inside Mom’s belly) to the delivery room. One of the nurses was a red-headed Irish nurse, and that made Mom comfortable, because Mom’s ancestors were from Ireland.

The nurses got everything ready and called the doctor. Mom had settled down by now. Dad was standing beside her helping her with her puffing and blowing. She reached the point where they let her push within half an hour of being admitted. Mom always said that I was in a hurry, even before I was born.

Anyway, Mom started pushing with her contractions while she squeezed my poor dad’s hands and arms. That’s when the lights started flickering, going on and off. We could hear the thunder rumbling outside, getting louder and louder. I mean my parents and the nurses could hear the thunder. The nurses got out the flashlights.

The nurses could see my head when my mom pushed. The Irish nurse was sitting down in the doctor’s stool, down-below. She said, “He’s a ruddy one, he is.”

At that moment, a huge clap of thunder shook the delivery room at the same time the lights surged with what looked like a bolt of lightning flashing through the room. The lights went out for a second, then came back on.

And when the lights came back on, there I was, in the nurses hands, crying like a baby. I say it was a lucky catch.

The nurse looked up at my mom with wide eyes of surprise. “Good push. Here’s your boy.” She held me up in my naked splendor for the whole room to see. You’d think there could be a little more respect for a new citizen.

My mom, reportedly looked to be in disbelief that I was out already.

The Irish nurse rubbed my head. “Yes he’s a ruddy one. I think you should call him Ruddy.”

“Let me hold him,” my mom said. “I want a closer look.”

The nurse clamped and cut the cord, then dried me off. After wrapping me in a blanket she handed me to my mom.

My mom rubbed my head with the blanket to make sure all the blood was wiped off. “Yes, his hair is really red, but look at this bolt of white that won’t lie down. I think that lightning zapped him. We’ll call him ‘Bolt’, for bolt of lightning. He was an active one before he was born. I bet he’ll continue to be busy.”

So that’s how I got my name. And my mom always introduces me as her red-headed daredevil on crutches.

Oh, yeah, now for these crutches. I got these crutches because I have Becker’s Muscular Dystrophy. It is a form of muscular dystrophy that is later in onset than Duchenne’s Muscular Dystrophy, It can progress more slowly, and the upper body is affected last. Anyway, when my legs started getting weak, my mom took me to the hospital. They gave me crutches, and I started racing the doctors down the halls. They told me I was “stick-hopping.”

I said, “No, this is stick-sprinting.”

When I kept returning to the clinic for crutches, after I had broken my wooden ones, the docs finally gave me aluminum crutches. “They bend, but they won’t break,” they told me. And they were right. I’ve mangled a few pairs, but never broken any of them.

My mom says that she’s never seen anyone try as many things on crutches as I have. It doesn’t always work, but I have to try. No challenge should be left untested. Life would be boring without new challenges.

Probably my favorite stunt on crutches is vaulting over Mr. Finkelstein’s fence. He hates it, but he finally gave up on stopping me. He decided to get a guard dog instead. That’s made the challenge even greater. When I get over the fence on my side of the yard, I have about five seconds to sprint across the yard and get over the fence on the other side before Dobey—that’s Mr. Finkelstein’s doberman—catches me. I love it.

And finally, my most favorite thing to do is flying the magic barrel carts. Gramps and Scout and I built them. Scout and I put the turbo-levitators in them that make them fly. And wow! To have been slowed down by crutches, then to be set free into flight, like a bird, with the magic barrel carts, man, that’s just too awesome to describe.

Okay, that should be enough. If that lazy author wants more, he can write it himself. I’m off to look for another adventure in my flying cart. I hear that in the next book the gang and I get to explore a world a mile high in the sky. That sounds dangerous…and right up my alley.

On November 19, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln ended his Gettysburg Address with the famous words, “…that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”

As President Lincoln’s Gettysburg address referred to preservation and unity of this country, the phrase – “Of the Reader, By the Reader, For the Reader” – refers to the unity or commonality of the components of the book, The Hemlock Aperture.

“Of the reader” refers to the subject matter and inspiration for the book. This includes the source of inspiration for the story, my grandchildren. Also in the source of the story is the local geography (the Mad River Valley and the woods where I grew up as a child near West Liberty and the Mad River), the local history (the Shawnee Indians and their language), and even the inspiration for the magic barrel carts (Young’s Dairy Farm, near Springfield and close to the Mad River).

“By the reader” refers to the writing and publishing process, with the story written by a local author, using Shawnee Indian phrases from another local author’s Shawnee dictionary—“Say it in Shawnee!” (Samantha Holland). The editing was guided by beta readers from the Bellefontaine Middle School and High School honors English classes, directed by Lisette Hiatt. And the book cover was designed by students at the Ohio Hi-Point Career Center, under the direction of their graphic design instructor, Tom Carrig.

And “For the reader” refers to the target audience, or intended reader, of the book. That is my grandchildren, middle-grade and young adult students (local and everywhere), local readers who are interested in stories about the Mad River Valley, and parents and grandparents who want clean, wholesome fiction for their grandchildren.

There is something satisfying about a project where the final product reflects the process. Completion brings a sense of fulfillment. It all fits together. Like a good ending to a book, it resonates.

There were times when I didn’t know if the process would work. But when it did, and we were finished and I wanted to start on the next book, I knew that it was worth the effort.

The second book of the series – The Tetrachrome Spiral Skyway – is in rough draft and beginning the beta reading and editing process.

Three years! Where has the time gone?

I wrote in my last post (3 years ago) that I was moving my belongings to another house. Well, it’s been three years, and I still don’t have everything moved, organized, and put into place. I’m still working on it.

That disruption of the “normal” in my life caused me to rethink my goals, especially my goals for writing. I have shifted directions with my writing. And that brings me back to the plexus principle. After not finding an agent for my first book, Mark of the Fire, I reflected on what I really wanted to write. I had five grandchildren (now seven). They were growing older. Some of them lived out of town or out of state, and I was not able to see them very often. It dawned on me, that what I really wanted to do was to write books for them.

They were all toddlers. They weren’t going to be able to read for years. But that would give me a head start. I began studying children’s fiction. I started reading book series. I read the Harry Potter series (and many others). And I studied what had made those series successful.

I learned that children like to read about characters slightly older than themselves. They liked fantasy. And they liked humor.

Perfect. I would write middle-grade fantasy. That would give me five or six years to write books until my grandchildren would be able to read them.

I looked around. I was in the process of moving back to the house (and woods) where I grew up. The woods could be my enchanted forest. The Mad River flowed nearby. That would be the “magic” Mad River. And the series would be the Mad River Magic series. Magic would be “light” magic, not dark, and I would incorporate life lessons (subtly). J. K. Rowling used Latin for her magic spells. I needed something different. The Indians in my home area (when the settlers arrived) were the Shawnee Indians. I would use Shawnee phrases for the magic. I found a local resident who had written a Shawnee dictionary. My characters needed something to fly in or on, other than quidditch sticks. A local dairy farm gave children rides in train carts. I call them barrel carts, since they are made from 55 gallon oil drums (or barrels). My characters would fly barrel carts with magic turbo-levitators.

Since I had seven grandchildren, how would I play fair. They couldn’t all be the main character. I need an outsider. I developed the “kid next door.” He needed a handicap. I chose Becker’s Muscular Dystrophy, with late onset and sparing of the upper body muscles. Bolt would “stick-hop” on crutches, and his magic and determination would make up for his weak legs.

The series came together. The first book – THE HEMLOCK APERTURE – has been published (see the “My Books” page for a link to Amazon). The second book has been written and is currently being edited. Hopefully, it will be published in late 2019.

The plan is for many more books in the series. The plexus principle is working. I’m enjoying what I’m writing, and I believe I’m doing what I am supposed to be doing.

What decisions have you made recently that are leading to fulfillment and joy?