Finding motives for your villains
“Raining Tears” is a crime mystery novel available at http://goo.gl/B7lKMs and other distributors in print and ebook format.
Have you ever read a book and hated the motive or logic and wanted to write something better? That was one of the motivations for this book. I have written two points of view in historic romances with the hero and heroine sharing their thoughts, but this book has four points of view. One is from the villain, Claire. Most mysteries don’t get into the head of the bad guy, but I enjoyed writing her. Another point of view is from Detective Sydney Harrison as she investigates her first major case. Beth is a police officer who kills an innocent man and has to deal with the guilt while Vivien is the young wife of the victim and deals with grief and anger.
It isn’t a who dunnit. The reader knows who killed Jack Lawson in the first chapter. It’s about how Sydney looks for the woman responsible and Claire avoids getting caught. Beth and Vivien share how the incident impacts their lives. It dissects the emotions brought to the surface when a loved one dies.
“It isn’t time that heals, it’s what you do during that time” was inspired by a woman who lost her son in the Iraq war. She spent years raising funds for veterans and helping those who returned home. I know another woman who had breast cancer and raised money for research. They lived those words.
This is a book about forgiveness for those who have good hearts but make a mistake. The villain does not get a free pass. She is contrasted against those who are genuinely sorry for what they have done. In the end justice is served.
To help research the story, I had attended a Citizens Police Academy and visited the local police departments. Each one is different, and in this story, I created my own department to fit my needs but based it on real police forces.
Authors say write what you know. I worked in a hospital, including the ER. I knew of patients who came into the ER for pain medicine. One didn’t even wait to leave the building. He was on the phone selling the pills minutes after being discharged. I also knew people who overdosed and covered stories about the opioid epidemic in Ohio. I hope this story starts a conversation about the abuse.
Blurb: Detective Sydney Harrison thought the police shooting of an armed robber was cut and dry, but when the facts don’t add up, she finds herself in a cat-and-mouse game with a drug-addicted woman willing to sacrifice the lives of others to feel normal.
Claire’s life spiraled out of control when a grab and dash for a purse turned into a chance meeting with a stranger in a dark alley. His death wasn’t her fault, but the police are searching for her. Before running she needs to tie up loose ends even if it means another person has to die.
#murder #crime #detective #drugs #wrpbks
