WHERE DID THAT COME FROM AND HOW DID IT HAPPEN?????
It all began with the words of my now ex-wife. "You need something to do so get off your dead ass and write, it's what you do best." That one sentence spoken in contempt and received with disinterest initiated the process which became one of the most enjoyable experiences in years. Since I had no other ideas of value at the time and she loved my first novel Trapped in the Inferno and I liked my characters, a sequel was the logical solution. And so I dove reluctantly into the chore which became less like a chore and more like a mission with every word, sentence, paragraph and chapter.
My first hurdle was that my perfect villain, Sir Roger Smythe, was incarcerated in Soliccianno Prison, the most notorious of all notorious Italian Prisons. So in order to make it possible to stalk James Stahler, my main character and all around good guy, he somehow had to escape. Enter into the mix I created Smythe with a limp, a worthless left hand and a sagging cheek all caused by a stroke. So how do I make it believable? MONEY and lots of it.
The next hurdle was how do I get a crippled guy who has killed five men including a Florence detective, a leading businessman, and three members of the Rome Mafia out of Italy and into the Twin Cities of the USA. After many sleepless nights the answer arose...it could not be done in a believable fashion. So I messed with other solutions to the problem and decided the only way was to bring James Stahler to him. Sounds easy but I threw out a number of ideas that at the time seemed plausible but with closer scrutiny were stupid. Finally I had a vision and from that brain eruption came a solution and the rest of the plot fell into place. Of course there were hurdles to overcome, but now I was rolling and answers arose as quickly as problems presented themselves.
I am very proud of Escape from the Inferno. I have read extensively both classic and modern fiction and I truly believe that Escape fits among the good novels by incorporating believable characters encountering believable challenges resolving those challenges by reasonable means which cause believable results leading to a believable resolution. How's that for a sentence to diagram, Miss Meers?
If you read Trapped in the Inferno you will really like Escape. If you have not read it, my guess is that you will want to after reading Escape. If you have read neither and chose to remain in the dark, you will be left out of the conversations at aperos and other gatherings. After all, they have heard about your grandchildren, the tulips in your garden and Fifi your dog. Be the life of the party and read Escape from the Inferno.
Click on the link: Escape From The Inferno