I love reading biographies. I have always been incredibly curious about people and what makes them tick.
As a writer this curiosity is one of my most valuable assets.
My friends make fun of me for being such a social media fanatic. I start my day with a good read of my Twitter feed, scroll through Facebook and linger at those fantastic Instagram pictures of other people’s lives.
I spend the first hour of my day rummaging through the lives of friends and strangers. Looking for tidbits that I could use. Mining riveting nuggets of life. I truly am interested in everything that goes on in the lives of others.
It’s where I get my ideas.
As Nora Ephron says, “Everything is copy.”
I am truly interested in what goes on in the world of crime. After spending almost twenty years in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) as their Senior Communications Strategist/ Media Relations Specialist, you would think I had enough. But I am still very interested in what motivates people to kill or commit heinous crimes against others.
In my crime thriller, Operation Wormwood, I go into the world of pedophiles. During the writing of this novel, I became obsessed with the topic. I can’t even tell you how many victim stories I have read. People ask me, why would you want to write on that topic?
It’s easy. Because that’s how you stop it. You shine a bright spotlight on the subject so it can no longer lurk in the dark corners.
My next crime thriller, Operation Vanished, will be published in August 2019. It is an investigation into missing women and a child dating back to the 1950s. The research was just fascinating. Looking at the world in 1950 with a 2019 outlook made me appreciate what our mothers and grandmothers faced everyday. Women were considered less than human in parts of the world and very replaceable (They still are). This novel takes you back in time through an investigation being conducted by an RCMP officer in 2018. What she uncovers will captivate you.
I do believe that everyone has a good story to tell. That’s why I get so caught up in the lives of others. I want to know what your story is.
I don’t mean egotistical celebrities, but people who have a story of overcoming adversity and achieving great things without resorting to a reality show platform.
In today’s #fakenews climate I find myself hungry for facts and truth. In the evenings I’m more drawn to comfortable housecoats instead of party dresses, tea instead of wine, books instead of television.
As I grow older, I have a need to stay curious and to get out of my comfort zone. Visiting places I haven’t been to before. Doing things I have never tried. This past year I took an acting class. I thought it would be a great way to challenge myself and write better dialogue for my literary characters. It was scary to become another person and step onto the stage. But it was also exhilarating. It shook me to my core but by doing this, I checked another box ‘done’ on my bucket list.
Doing something that frightens you is a great way to check to see if you’re still alive.
I think we all need to pull our heads out of our screens and look around, make sure we are still alive.
Find out more about people. Make real friends. Make a connection.
Make being curious a way of life. Everyday, check to make sure you’re still alive.
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