From a "big picture" perspective, I've had the advantage of a very diverse career that began working with juvenile delinquents, evolved to larger aspects of working in criminal justice (police, courts, probation), teaching in a college setting, working as an arts advocate (which put me in contact with so many creative people), and administering a national human services association. I've had a lifetime of coming in contact with such diverse groups of people, that it has been a blessing for me in terms of creating characters to populate my books.
On a personal level, I've done lots of theatre, which as an actor involves taking an author's words and creating a character. As a writer, I'm coming up with the words a character might believably say. For TRANSPLANTED DEATH (pictured here) I developed the plot idea while spending lots of time in the hospital when my wife received a kidney transplant.
In UNFORGIVING SHADOWS, the opening chapter depicts an execution by lethal injection. I've never witnessed one of those, but have been to the prison in Pennsylvania where the death penalty is administered.
In BLOOD PORN a juvenile corrections facility is the scene for illicit pornography. The fact that I had worked in juvenile corrections permitted me to create realistic settings.
On a micro level, my books are filled with elements of interaction and stories I've heard over the years. When I go back and re-read my books, nearly every chapter reminds me of a small episode in my life - whether it occurred in my college years or since I've been retired.
Just the other evening I was having dinner with a friend. We were talking about my books and he shared a story. I confided in him that he might see it used in a future Brad Frame story.
Research is another critical element that informs my writing. Thanks to the Internet, it's possible to find out a wealth of information about nearly any topic. And to take a photographic or video journey to further learn about a particular topic. And I'm not afraid to reach out to experts, such as lawyers when I wrote FINAL JUROR, or a funeral director to help me with my upcoming novel EMBALMED.
Help continue the conversation... share what informs the things you write about.
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