Everyone has a purpose for writing. Some use it as a release. Others to push a political agenda. Others still want to make people laugh. I want to make people smile.
To me, there is something cathartic about creating characters that are human and yet, so heroic you wish you could be just like them. Something interesting about taking ordinary people and dropping them into extraordinary circumstances or situations. The reverse of that is also true. Something interesting about taking extraordinary people and dropping them into ordinary situations.
In my opinion, the best stories are character driven. Interaction between characters that are opposites but find a common ground. That is the basis for many of my stories. Does that mean a crime thriller can’t have elements of that? Of course not. The best ones have well developed characters that find themselves in extraordinary circumstances as mentioned above. The Firm comes to mind as an example of that. Most of Grisham’s work for that matter.
Pet peeve? Would have to be the ANTI-Hollywood ending. Or the thought that a story can only be original if it is sad. As if that is the only way a story can be thought provoking. Completely untrue in my opinion. Life can be depressing enough at times. Turn on the news at night. The first ten stories before the weather are undoubtedly about rape, murder, theft, stabbings, bombings, and kidnapping. In New England, even the weather can be depressing! Why on earth would you want to read a story that is? Overcoming obstacles? Of course. The key word being “overcoming” them. Some critics have panned stories such as “Silver Linings Playbook” for being overly sentimental. But isn’t that what life is all about? Persevering in the face of adversity?
So if you are looking for the anti-Hollywood ending; the shock for the sake of shocking the reader, you won’t find it in one of my books. But if you’re looking for something to make you reflect on life, smile, laugh a bit, and make you feel a little bit better after you’ve read it than before—look no further. Welcome aboard. I’m your man.