Ex FBI Analyst Becomes my Newest SME (Subject Matter Expert)

This week I had lunch with an ex FBI analyst. It was fascinating, and I confess that the phrase "truth is stranger than fiction" applied to some of our topics. On a personal level, I found it difficult to imagine working in that environment (I think it would depress me!).

After an hour and a half of hashing through some of the finer points of "True Surrender," I was gratified to realize that my creative self had not been too far off the mark. Only a few minor edits were required (which have now been completed). Special thanks to my new SME ("Subject Matter Expert") Tina.

What does FBI stuff have to do with "True Surrender," you ask? Well, I don't want to tell you so much that it ruins the story. Suffice it to say that Major Aaron Bricewick has a job change during the course of the novel that takes him into new territory...for the rest, you'll have to read the book!

The Damn Synopsis ... Again

When I 'extended' the True Surrender story in late January, it meant that I now had to re-write (or, more precisely, 'update') the synopsis.

Which is definitely NOT my favorite type of writing!

So I might have put it off just a little.

But now the synopsis has been 'done' (again) and I'm reading it out loud to myself (sometimes that helps, sometimes it doesn't), and I think ... "what a great story this is!"

It's very nice to read something after you've let it sit awhile, and realize that, by God, it's quite good. It gives me warm fuzzies.

So why isn't it in the hands of agents yet? The answer: it's the damn synopsis. It's so crucial and I'm so perfectionistic, and I think I'm just going to have to let it go. They'll either like it or they won't ... right?

A True Surrender Exerpt

Below are just a few of the 6000+ words I wrote during my writing 'marathon' on late January. I thought you might like a little teaser...And if you're not already on my email list, please join!

Aaron wasn't sure what good his presence was. He sat in Cheryl's home, in her living room, and listened as the police officers recounted the details of her suicide.

She had overdosed on pills and pot.

The irony was not lost on him, and he felt physically ill.

There was apparently a note, but he wasn’t privy to the contents.

Cheryl's mom, June, sat in a chair in the corner and cried intermittently. Cheryl's younger brother (only 17 years old, he learned) sat in stony silence, as if he were numb. Which he probably was.

Only part of him registered the scene, as if from a distance. Robert took charge, of course, extracting each person's experience of the night before and that morning. Aaron recognized that he was trying to tie them together, to get a complete picture of what had gone so wrong.

Why a young woman was dead.

Robert turned to June last. "Mrs. Young," he said. "Did anything out of the ordinary happen yesterday or even the day before?"

Mrs. Young shook her head. "She went to work, she walked the dog, she watched TV..."

"Any change in her routine?" Robert said. "Any upsets with her friends?"

"Friends?" June's brow furrowed in concentration. "There was one thing. Unusual, I guess you'd say...an Army friend came to visit with her."

Aaron felt Scott stiffen beside him.

"I thought it was odd it wasn't one of you,” June continued. "But she still has friends in the Army and it's her business who she associates with..."

"June." It was unlike Scott to interrupt, and it set Aaron's nerves on edge. "Do you remember the soldier's name?"

She shook her head. "I'm not good with names," she said, "and you all look alike to me, especially with those camouflage things you wear."

Robert pulled a file folder from his briefcase and extracted a photo. "Mrs. Young, is this the man who was here?"

She took the picture with shaky hands, and dabbed her eyes with a tissue for the hundredth time. "The clothes are different," she said, "but this certainly looks like him."

Aaron saw Robert take the photo from her as if in slow motion. Somehow, he knew. He knew before Robert tilted the photo unobtrusively toward them.

Jared's head shot.

Have you ever been betrayed by your best friend?

It happens to Army Major Aaron Bricewick in True Surrender...and it nearly gets him killed...

Jared took a long time to answer. "You understand how it is," he finally said. "I did what I did for the good of the mission."

"Bullshit," Aaron said. "You did what was good for you. You made a mistake and instead of owning up to it, you covered your ass. And you nearly got me killed."

"I didn't--" Jared stopped.

"Didn't what?" Aaron said. It took a supreme effort not to speak aloud the thoughts going through his mind.

"It was not supposed to happen that way," Jared said. "Things went wrong. But I did save you."

"You put my life in jeopardy, and then claim to save it?" Aaron was incredulous.

"Hey, you're okay now."

"Are you shitting me?" Aaron said. "Jared, they beat me. Threw me in a cellar. Broke my legs. Threatened to slit my neck. Does any of that sound 'okay' to you?"

Jared looked like wanted to get up and leave. Instead he cleared his throat. "So where do we go from here?"

Aaron was silent for a time. "I don't know," he finally said. "I really don't know."

WHAT WOULD YOU DO? To find out what Aaron does, join my email list so you'll know the minute the book is out!

Permission to Walk Away

The synopsis for True Surrender is as finished as it's going to be. (We'll see how long that lasts!)

But an interesting thing happened during the 5-month-long writing of the (2-page!) synopsis. I found some things I wanted to change to make the main character's personal transformation more believable and compelling. The challenge, as usual, is to integrate the changes into the storyline!

There was also a chapter I hadn't finished. I knew what affect I wanted to have on the character (Major Aaron Bricewick) by chapter's end, but I hadn't been able to nail down THE sequence that gives it strong 'impact-ability' ... probably because I'd worked too closely on the novel for so long (2 years and counting).

In the four weeks since I gave myself permission to accept the synopsis and walk away from the project for awhile (I even worked on a short story idea for a bit), at least ONE of these issues has become clearer to me (the unfinished chapter).

So perhaps these unexpected benefits of the process of writing the synopsis will make the time I've spent worth it (believe me, I've questioned that many times!). Certainly it will make for a stronger story!

Iraq War Marine Military Memoir: How it Helps my Writing

I picked up Joker One by Donovan Campbell after reading his article in Guideposts magazine. I wanted to see how his faith fared while he was immersed in the military/combat life. In the book, the faith/Christian themes are pretty low-key; however, the insightful observations Campbell draws about the human spirit and LOVE in particular were – at least for me – a clear expression of his spirituality.

This is the most balanced war memoir I've read. It's not about politics and it's not dripping with military ego/pride. Campbell's ability to be straightforward and honest about his own shortcomings, regrets and emotional state is truly compelling. It's about his personal journey and how he is changed by what he experiences – and he's not afraid to tell it like it is. He's obviously driven, and he's hard on himself.

In fact, I found parallel characteristics between Campbell and Major Aaron Bricewick, the fictional 'star' of True Surrender, my novel-in-progress! So there was an extra element of discovery in reading this ... any doubts I had about whether my character was acting realistically were settled!

Besides that, Campbell's either got a natural knack for writing or an incredible editor, because this book pulls everything together in a way that other Iraq memoirs I've read haven't. And - let's face it - 'technically' good writing makes for an easier read, allowing the book concept to really come to life. Nothing gets in the way of Campbell's sometimes powerful realizations ... which is just what I've been working on in True Surrender!