This month, Fabulous Florida Writers is pleased to welcome guest blogger James Sheehan. James is the author of four thought-provoking legal thrillers. His latest, The Alligator Man, was released in October. James was our featured author on March 13, 2012.
Some of the most common questions I get asked about any book
that I write are: Why did you write this particular book? Where did you get the
storyline? Is it personal to you? Why did you pick this particular setting?
What is your particular writing methodology? I am going to try and answer some
of those questions with regard to my present book, The Alligator Man.
Why did I write this book? Well, the general reason is that I
wanted to write a story about one of those enormously rich CEO’s getting his at
the hand of one of the employees he screwed mightily. That’s a forceful theme
for a book. One we can all identify with. I can’t tell you how I arrived at the
specific plot because that would give you the ending. However, I will give you
a hint. I got the plot from two ski instructors in Aspen who told me a story
about somebody who died there. If you want, you can contact me after you read
the book and let me know if you solved that riddle.
The other story in the book is about a father and son who were
estranged from each other for 28 years. The father, Tom Wylie, is dying of
cancer and his son Kevin decides to visit him, not because he cares, but
because he wants some answers about why his world was blown apart when he was
eight years old. He does get his answers and he gets to know his father in the
process.
I honestly don’t know where that story came from. Was it
personal to me? Maybe. My dad has been dead for over 30 years, and I still miss
him tremendously. I wish that he were around and had been around over the years
so I could have talked to him and sought his advice during the crucial periods
in my life. In that way, I identify with Kevin and his frustrations.
I loved writing this book because the setting is so great---the
Everglades, alligators, boa constrictors, a great blue heron and men behaving
badly. What more could you ask for? I loosely based part of the story on an
actual town and some real characters. That’s one thing about Florida--it has
more than its share of colorful characters from the past.
One of my students asked me just the other day if I plotted out
each chapter beforehand. He was under the impression that all writers followed
the same methodology. I had to tell him that there is no one magic elixir.
Writing is a creative process and you’ve got to be you. Some people do plot out
every chapter. Me--I have a general idea and I go with it. Once my characters
are developed, they take me along for the ride. It may not the best way to do
it but it works for me. I’m as surprised at things that happen as the reader
is. That spontaneity makes writing more fun for me.
That doesn’t mean the process is easy. Not having every little
piece of the plot mapped out means that I sometimes struggle with aspects of
it. That was especially true with The
Alligator Man. I just couldn’t get it right. Eventually, after tweaking and
tweaking, I finally got the plot where it should be. At least I think I did. I
will only know that for sure if each and every one of you read the book and let
me know.
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