Trust but Verify

February 2024

Where Did I Find That Story?

Among the many questions I receive as an author is: How do you arrive at what you are writing? My response is simple yet complex. Nothing happens in a vacuum. Every story has to have a start and an ending. Think of it as a sandwich—two slices of bread are the beginning and end; the “meat” is the story itself. It needs primary and supporting characters and a specific setting. But, most importantly, it must have a compelling storyline—the “who, where, what, and how” of the story.

I found the foundation for my writing in my professional career—fifty years of policing.

 Adding to that is my personal life of family, religion, and education. Pulling this together is my passion for research and writing. I combine that with my wife and enjoy traveling throughout North America, the U.K., Europe, Russia, and the Middle East.

That covers millions of square miles, cultures, religions, and customs. Add that to my personal life experiences, and you will find many stories. “Color of the Prism” can be seen in my days with the Tucson Police Special Investigation Division. I extended that storyline to two more books, “We Were Young Once…” and “The Russian,” into The Border War Series.

Adding flavor to those books were my experiences in Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Sonora, Chihuahua, Moscow, St. Petersburg, Rome, Paris, Lucerne, Jerusalem, and many other locales, which took us to minefields, vast deserts, snow-covered mountaintops, monumental basilicas, old and crumbling churches, federal and local law enforcement and intelligence sites, and a few out-of-the-way spots which added additional insight for my stories.

 

                      Swiss Village                                 Israel Minefield

 

Israeli Defense Force

 

 

                Moscow                              Lubyanka/KGB Section

 

Jerusalem/West Bank

Those travels led to the Christie Cole Series of “Voices in the Fog,” which starts at the FBI Academy. The series follows Christie in “A Spy Among Us” and finishes with “Arrows of Allah.”

Between these series was “Sweet Emily,” a serial murder case set in the Dallas/Ft. Worth Metroplex. Closing out my books is a biblical novel, “The Third Dawn: Bethlehem to Golgotha,” primarily founded on our two trips to the Holy Land.

What an experience it has been. The road forward? Yes, that is a great question. Wait and see. But for now, please take a moment and leave your comments below.