Hop Hop Hop

My good friend Belinda Bekkers has included me in a blog hop and so here goes.  You can find Belinda's blog at http://belindabekkers.wordpress.com/2014/05/06/where-ive-been-and-a-blog-hop/    Hope y'all enjoy!


What am I working on?

I am currently working on a collection of short stories which I plan on releasing in the fall.  They are crime stories and there will be twelve of them total.  A few might be considered novelettes due to length, but they are definitely shorter than a novel or novella.  I have written over sixty short stories and have seven of them published but I really wanted to share these as I think they offer lots of suspense with a wide diversity of plots and characters.


How does my work differ from others of its genre?

As a crime fiction writer, I am always on the lookout for new types of crimes and criminals.  The mustache-twirling totally evil criminal does not work anymore and I'm not sure that it ever did work on any plausible level.  I try to construct characters that are pretty well-rounded.  I also don't go into graphic detail about violence although there are violent scenes sometimes in my stories.  I also do not enjoy police procedurals.  So I don't ten to write them.  I am a bit of a rascal at heart.  I'm much more interested in how these criminals get away with crimes since they are automatically on the defensive with the law against them.  It's much more of a challenge for them to do what they do, especially when they have fewer resources.  So I guess in a nutshell, I tend to write about bad guys and gals.


Why do I write what I do?

I have always been interested in the criminal world which many of us know nothing about.  If a guy's a career thief, how does he go about it?  What are his fears and concerns and what problems does he encounter along his way?  While some may say "Who cares?  He's just a thief" I say that any character can become interesting no matter what they do for a living.  Anyone remember Robin Hood?  Seems like he was a thief too.

I suppose in the end, I am simply drawn to it and I HAVE to do it.  If I did not write about these things, I would spend my time reading about them or maybe even trying to live them out(And the idea of jail does not sound fun to me).


How does my writing process work?

To be honest, each story can start in different ways.  Ultimately, it comes down to a first line.  I really want that first line to hook a reader.  If it wouldn't hook me, it wouldn't hook them.  So the first line is of the utmost importance. 

From there, I start following these characters along to see what happens.  I take breaks, but I always go over what I have already written when I come back to it.  This way earlier details about the story that I want to change, I can do so or if I want to reinforce them, I can do that as well.  Either way, I keep a firm grip on things.

As far as endings, I usually have a really good idea in mind about them.  Every now and then, they just sort of happen.  But either way, I go over it a few times to make sure I write it the best way I know how to blow the reader away.  And hopefully they will come back for more.

What is the current project I am working on?

I am putting the final touches on a book of short stories.  There are twelve of them.  They all deal with criminal activity and offer plenty of nail-biting suspense.  They range in length and differ a good deal in character in plot.  There are also connections between some of the characters in different stories.  I guess I like to think my whole fictional world is connected since it all comes from the same wacky source- my brain.  I hope to release this title in the fall.



So there is my blog hop.  It's been fun and I would love to do another one.  But give all the credit to Ms. Bekkers and check out her page!