THE NEIGHBOR
Available in Hardcover, June 16, 2009 from Bantam
I have been a professional writer for nearly twenty years now. In that time, I have produced nearly two dozen novels, and still it amazes me how little I control I have over the writing process. Each and every time, I start out with a rough plan for my novel. And each and every time, by page five or so, that plan is blown out of the water. The plot veers off in a different direction. I learn something during the research phase that totally changes the course of the novel. I don’t know. You go to write a book and apparently, things happen.
My latest release THE NEIGHBOR (available June 16, 2009 from Bantam Books) is no exception. I started it with a simple premise: I wanted a love interest for my favorite hard-nosed Boston detective, D.D. Warren. First, I thought she was going to end up with Bobby Dodge, but then during HIDE, he fell in love with Annabelle Granger. Fine, I thought to myself. Dating a state police detective would’ve been too clichéd anyway. How much more fun to have D.D. fall for a guy suspected of murdering his own wife. Better yet, I’ll make the guy a father of a four-year old girl, because surely workaholic Sergeant Warren deserves a sexy, dark-haired man who also knows how to fashion pigtails and make Mickey Mouse pancakes.
Of course, I wanted a twisted storyline with lots of shocking turns. Not a problem. I’m naturally drawn to plots that are ripped from the headlines, and let’s face it, there are no shortages of husbands out there who are apparently resolving their marital woes by killing their wives. Research cases were numerous and easy to find. If I now sleep with one eye open at all times, well that’s what happens when you spend six months immersed in the study of spousal homicide.
Next, I needed some other suspects to stir the pot. What about a registered sex offender living on the same block as the missing woman? And what if the missing woman happens to also be a beautiful blonde schoolteacher, perhaps a natural favorite with her male students? See, now we’re having some fun.
This also led to some interesting research. I thought I knew what I needed to know about sex offenders. As wife, mother and neighbor, I’ve been very comfortable with the notion of hanging them all and letting God sort it out. I’ve also had zero respect for female schoolteachers who engage in sexual relations with their students. A sex offender is a sex offender, even the ones who are pretty and female. Then again, sometimes during the research phase, I learn things that totally change the course of the novel.
I started THE NEIGHBOR with a plan, and quickly ended up with a puzzle. At a certain point, I was writing the book simply so I could find out what was going to happen next. Did Jason Jones actually kill his wife? And what was he doing on the computer night after night after night? And what about poor four-year old Ree, the last known person to have seen her mother alive?
With D.D. Warren pulling out all the stops to discover exactly what happened to Sandy Jones, someone out there had be getting very, very nervous. And nervous people have been known to go to great lengths to cover their tracks, including eliminating potential witnesses.
I thought D.D. needed to a love interest. But maybe, what she really needs is to save a scared little girl, caught in the middle of a deadly game.
It’s possible there’s a bit more to the story than I’ve mentioned so far. Some other key characters that appear along the way, some rather unexpected developments. Because when you go to write a book, apparently, things happen.
THE NEIGHBOR, available June 16, 2009 from Bantam Books. He is closer than you think… |
