Would you like to get in on the action? You get an early digital copy of the book at all levels, plus you have a chance to get Tuckerized…have your name written into the book!

A peek at what my patrons got to see last night.

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Now…about this character…

This guy inspired the idea behind the upcoming Patron-funded book, which is tentatively titled Spectre.

I had the idea while presenting my Draw Me A Story workshop at the New Jersey Romance Writers yearly conference some years ago, and I loved the general idea, but never got around to writing it. Something finally sparked and I dusted off the idea and got to work.

The workshop is focused on how writers can use images to find stories or characters and build from there. I’ve had several books that were inspired either by pictures (Beautiful Scars), seeing a book on a shelf (Wrecked) or even hearing a random bit of news (Hunter’s Pride) and I decided to craft a workshop based on visual images and how to look for the story behind the image.

For the workshop, I buy magazines and cut images out, but I also put together a slideshow and buy stock images or clipart to illustrate. This guy had a compelling look and makes you wonder, or he made me wonder, at least.  Is he a hero? A villain? A bit of both? He was part of the ‘example’ I used while describing my process.

I had the participants study his image, then I asked them who/what they saw and give me a little bit of backstory to the character. After a few minutes, I called time, then I looked at the picture and made something up.

He’s not the villain, but he’s not a good guy, either.  He’s an assassin but he has his own set of guidelines. When he’s sent to kill a woman, he knows right away he can’t do it, although it’s not because of her sex. He just knows there’s nothing she’s done to warrant a death sentence. He makes up his mind that he’ll protect her and since doing that will involve taking out the people who hired him, that’s the first thing on the agenda. Falling in love with her was not in the plan, but it happened anyway.

I’ve given the workshop several times since then and that story ida lingered with me, although it evolved and grew over time.

The rough blurb is below. Just a reminder, all patrons who pledge, regardless of level, receive a free download of this book and everybody has the name in the pot for a chance to get written into the book.

Also…thank you. Things got pretty rough for me not long after I started this Patreon and I had to take more time away to deal than I wanted to. Your continued support and understanding means so very much.

Spectre

I wasn’t even a man when I took a life for the first time, although you couldn’t say I was a child. If I’d ever had a childhood, it hadn’t lasted long. My father, may he rot in hell, had seen to that. I took his life as well and that, too, happened before I was old enough to be considered a man grown.

I never regretted it for a second. Why regret following the path he’d put me on…read more at my Patreon.