That Lovely Girl, Those Awful Books! by Kate Flora
Thanks
to Marilyn for hosting me today. The title of this post comes from something my
mother-in-law once said. She didn’t really think my books were awful, she was
just surprised that my strong woman character, Thea Kozak, lived a tough gal,
unconventional life and didn’t back down from challenges. (Chosen for Death +6)
Not
backing down from challenges is something we writers all face. Writing characters
who are not like us. Learning about whole new worlds to make them feel
authentic for our readers. Trying out different styles and voices. In my case,
my curiosity about the world of crime and crime writing has led me on a rather
strange journey, starting from the corner of the genre I’d call “strong female
amateur PI” to writing, editing, and publishing crime short stories, then to police
procedurals, true crime, and, most recently, to memoir. I rarely know quite
what I’m doing, but I also find myself not backing down.
This
journey gives my agent a headache. Her advice, in this world of branding, is
quite straight forward: pick one genre and stick to it. It’s good advice but it
doesn’t square with how my writing life has evolved, and I wouldn’t want to
have missed the adventures this journey brings. Citizens’ Police Academy.
R.A.D. self-defense classes. Asking the cop I’m riding with to tell me what
he’s seeing and getting the story of the streets. Those amazing moments during
ride-alongs late at night when the talk gets serious.
If I
hadn’t been curious and gone where story takes me, I would never have gotten in
touch with a police lieutenant in Portland, Maine, gotten to know Joe Loughlin, or
ended up helping him write the story of a true crime. I wouldn’t have taken a
walk into dark November woods to visit Amy St.Laurent’s burial site or sat with
an intimidating Maine state police detective and listened to him describe the
sights and smells and feelings of the December night they dug up her body in a
lonely woodland clearing. (Finding Amy)
I would
never have gone to the shooting range when the Miramichi, New Brunswick police
officers were requalifying. Never have driven a four-wheeler deep into the
Canadian woods to recreate a killer’s journey and see where a body was hidden.
I wouldn’t have gone on a stake-out and found the bad guy. (Death Dealer)
I wouldn’t have gone on a
Maine warden service K9 training and come home with photos, stories, and about
35 ticks hidden in the folds of my clothes. (A Good Man with a Dog)
If I
hadn’t had a chance to experience the world of true crime, I wouldn’t have the
resources to ask for help when I wanted to send my fictional detective, Joe
Burgess, into a convenience store where someone was holding a gun on the clerk.
(And Grant You Peace) But my work in
the world of nonfiction gives me resources so I can reach out and ask about
training. I can ask how an officer would handle a civilian traumatized by having
been held at gunpoint. And I know far more than I ever dreamed about the
after-effects of a situation involving cops and guns.
So no.
The books aren’t awful. But I do try hard to illuminate the world of real
crime, and real crime isn’t pretty and it’s never over in an hour. And when it
comes to fiction? Sometimes I’m overwhelmed by how little I know, but I’m
always ready to face the next challenge. If I listen to my agent, I won’t meet
wonderful people, hear powerful stories, have adventures, and help people tell
their stories. Instead, I’ll go where story takes me.
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