Amazing Fact #1

As a nation, we eat 13,680 cans of Spam every hour.

P.I. Cri-Fi

The novel I’m planning to go back on submission with in January falls under the general category of crime fiction, and under the general subgenre of private eye novel.

P.I. Cri-Fi.

You heard it here first.

One of the problems with private eye novels (or with any novels, for that matter) is coming up with a main character who stands out from the crowd.

Do we need another Philip Marlowe, another Spenser, or even another Amos Walker?

Nope. Those are all great characters, but they’ve been done. And done, and done...

Sometimes, especially with a P.I. novel, it’s tempting to fall into the voice of parody. Amusing, but not what I’m after.

What am I after?

I want a guy who’s honest. Compassionate. Loyal. Intelligent. A good lover and a capable fighter...

But, I also want a guy who’s wounded. Deeply wounded. So wounded, in fact, that the very essence of his being aches with it 24/7.

Is this the guy?

Twenty years after crawling from the fiery wreckage of a chartered jet and witnessing his wife and daughter perish, a blues guitarist turned private eye makes a horrifying discovery: the crash was not an accident...

Meet Nicholas Colt, PI. Once a successful recording artist with mansions on both coasts, he now resides near Jacksonville, Florida, in a 1964 Airstream Safari travel trailer. He’s forty-five, living paycheck to precarious paycheck, and is forever haunted by the memory of his wife and daughter. His music died with them, along with any faith in a higher power.

I think this is the guy. He’s my guy, anyway, and he’s different from every other private eye out there.

After a third major rewrite, the book is back in my agent’s hands now, and I’m hoping it will be back in some editors’ hands within the next month or so.

Will the third time be a charm?

Stay tuned.

Your turn. What makes your character stand out from the crowd?

Profound Cerebral Question #5

Why are men so utterly pathetic at wrapping presents?

Google Maps

I can go here, type in my old address, click on the Street View option, and virtually roam the neighborhood I grew up in. I can actually see, with striking detail, the Crape Myrtle my grandmother planted in our front yard forty-some years ago.

Try it! You'll like it!

Isn't this a marvelous tool for writers? We no longer have to depend on memory for setting description. With a click here and a drag there, we're on location instantly.

Of course, I suppose this is also an excellent tool for burglars and other criminals. The real ones and the villains in our stories. They can case a neighborhood without ever leaving the comfort of their own lairs...

Profound Cerebral Question #4

What happened to profound cerebral question #3?

Profound Cerebral Question #2

All my life, I’ve heard the word handbasket used in only one context.

What exactly is a handbasket, and why is it perceived to be the most dreadful mode of transportation to Hell?

Profound Cerebral Question #1

Why does anybody buy expensive trash bags?