Some people want to know how I write; creating characters, my writing process, where I get my ideas, etc... So, I decided I'd do some blogs on how I write a particular book or story, and my future projects. And of course, naturally my first Backstory Blog is about my book Family Ties.
I came up with the original idea back in 2001, when I'd heard about Chandra Levy's disappearance. For those who don't know or need a reminder, Levy was an intern at the Federal Bureau of Prisons in Washington D.C., she disappeared in May 2001. The case drew massive attention from the media and the police learned Chandra was having an affair with former Congressman Gary Condit (D-CA). Condit was married, serving his fifth term, and was never named as a suspect & was cleared of any involvement, the cloud of suspicion ended his career.
When all this happened in 2001, I'd been working on my first book & the series I'd planned and for some reason I'd become mildly obsessed with Levy's case, much in the same way I'd become obsessed with the murders of Jack the Ripper, leading me to become an amateur Ripperologist. I think it's all been a passion for justice + my love of mysteries + having to know the Why. And trust me it wasn't hard to get caught up in the case, with all the coverage that summer it was insane, but that ended on September 11, 2001.
At some point over the summer I began to form the basis for the plot, but I was a long way off, and I took some weird detours on the way, and one was a doozy, believe me. Before beginning Family Ties, I formed the basic plot & most of the characters and thought it was the perfect story for Sue Grafton's character Robert Dietz. If you're a fan and don't recognize the name here's a refresher. In G is for Gumshoe, Kinsey Milhoune, the protagonist, hires another P.I. /Bodyguard (Dietz) when she's been marked for death. Deitz has been back several times and he & Kinsey had a relationship, but she lost touch with him. In a flash of so-called brilliance (mixed with stupidity, ego, & inexperience) I emailed Grafton the idea suggesting it'd be a great vessel for a standalone Dietz story. Is it a wonder I never made valedictorian folks?
Months later I heard from Grafton's assistant with a "Thanks but no-thanks" email, with the addition of these are her characters and isn't to into accepting ideas for them. Now that I've written four John Seraph mysteries I understand where she is coming from. Well I hung onto the idea in my notes, following a mantra my Mom told me when I was kid writing & drawing my homemade comic books, "NEVER THROW ANYTHING AWAY!"
Time passed, I put the notes aside and went back to work on my first book & got it published in 2004, while I was in college, then a follow up in 2006, as I tired to promote myself, since my first publisher didn't do, and was very unsuccessful. After one day of digging around my notes, I found my original notes & thought "If Grafton won't do it, why not me?" So I began working on the story; I kept the original idea, added some new characters, and most importantly I created my protagonist John Seraph. I gave him a series of personal problems re: his family, and things began to flow like the Niagara River. I'll be talking about the whole process & finding Nancy Schumacher & Melange Books, LLC soon.
In creating John Seraph and the main characters I admit I've been heavily influenced by a number of outside sources, but I think that's normal for any writer. The greatest influences have been my favorite mystery authors; Robert B. Parker's Spenser, Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum, & Sue Grafton's Kinsey Milhoune. And no offense ladies, but I fully admit has had the greatest impact on me as a writer.
In summing up John Seraph, I'd say he is a blending up of Robert B. Parker’s Spenser, Mikey Spillane’s Mike Hammer, George Peppard's Banacek, Paul Newman's character Michael Gallagher from 1981's Absence of Malice, and me too but I think that's natural for any author. I think I like John more than myself. He's faster, smoother, sharper than I am, but considering the world he grew up in up in he must be. But at the same time, I know he's part of me.
One of the nice things about writing a modern mystery is where I can set it. What I mean is the world of John Seraph is set in the Buffalo, NY/ Western New York area. I once heard and believe the following piece of advice, "Write what you know." I've lived in Buffalo my whole life and love this area, so it fits John would be in this area too. I don't have to create an alien world or study another time period, like Rosemarie Szostak, a writing colleague, who writes paranormal mysteries in the turn-of-the century Atlanta, GA. I'm a here & now guy and not opposed to putting John into another city, provided I can visit there and do research and soak in color. As a matter fact in a future book I send John does to Boston for a body guarding job.
One thing some readers have told me is I make 'Buffalo come alive' for them. And I'm glad to hear that. I think in part it comes from having read so much of Parker's Spenser novels and with Buffalo & Boston being very similar in a number of ways a lot of that has rubbed off on me.
When I first came up with the story idea, I'd no idea how much research I'd have to do. It's not like I've a staff of assistants. That said I had to do research on Chandra Levy, sex enhancing drugs, handguns, the Mateba auto-revolver, the Senate, what Senators can do & their responsibilities, sawed-off shotguns, setting a human on fire, history of organized crime in Buffalo, what happens when you shot a handgun.
Now when I was in college, I was good at research and its part of writing, no matter what genre you are writing. And it is something you cannot fake. In sci-fi & fantasy a lot of rules are out the door, but with mysteries you can’t do that. With sciences like ballistics and forensics mystery writers cannot go off the reservation, otherwise you betray a reader's trust.
Well that's the first Backstory Blog and I hope this answers some questions and you all enjoyed it. More are coming about my other works; published, in the works, & those bouncing around in my mind. And trust me there's a lot. So, if you folks have comments or questions please feel free to post here or email me directly at Cavillier1970@yahoo.com I'll respond back A.S.A.P. but also know I'm planning to do a post sharing all the questions & responding to all the comments I receive.
Until next time,
C.G. Eberle
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