Reflections on Redemption
That’s a wrap! I finished and published my final book in the Redemption trilogy, Redemption 3: Death at Downers Grove. Since I’m no longer plotting the adventures (and misadventures!) of Mike Parsons, I can sit back and reflect on the process, characters, and purpose of the books.
Before sharing my Redemption reflections, I want to thank those who played instrumental roles in writing and publishing the trilogy. First, my wife, Sandy, has truly been supportive through this entire process. She graciously puts up with my early mornings of writing, often at 4:00 a.m. She always cheers me on when I near the end of each book. The next shout-out goes to Linda Knight, my editor, whose expertise and steadfast patience helped my writing improve. Linda leaves no stone unturned or coma misplaced when proofreading my work. Finally, Meredith Morrison, deserves a thank you. Meredith built and maintains my website. She also designs social media flyers for book signings. I’ll share more about her in another blog!
The idea for Redemption came from the common struggles of growing up, making big decisions, and forging relationships. One of my favorite quotes by Oscar Wilde influenced how I developed the characters and their complicated storylines -- “Every saint has a past and every sinner has a future.”
I pictured Mike Parsons, the main character, living an exciting and trialing life. After all, his experiences composed a three-part mystery thriller. However, I also wanted his emotions and some experiences, especially the emotionally difficult ones, to be relatable for every reader. Mike, for example, lacked confidence in himself, which is a common story for many. He doubted if he could ever attain what he truly wanted. Also, he often felt awkward, stumbling with words and hesitating to take action. He didn’t make things happen for himself but instead let things happen to him.
Detective Allison Branch’s character was interesting to develop because I dug deep into her traumatic past to explain her present. Allison’s childhood involved abuse and neglect, which influenced her anger and distorted outlook on herself and others. Trauma from prior years haunted her every day, which sadly is not an uncommon reality.
Jake proved the most difficult to develop because he needed to be viewed as both good and bad. The good -- his will to protect his sister at all costs. The bad -- his drive to advance the cartel. His life in the slums made him ruthless, a fighter, but he showed soft spots, even when faced with hard decisions.
Andy Marx was a soldier for justice. He took his job seriously and maintained stability compared other characters, until the very end — a good cop who lost his taste for the job.
Without Sheila, Margaret, and Jerry there is no story. While they didn’t appear in every chapter, they gave the bigger characters foundation and purpose, from the first book to the third.
Several readers told me how they wanted the trilogy to end. I listened, imagined their proposed scenarios, and even changed some outcomes. However, if something didn’t feel quite right, I followed my intuition and desire for the story to peak, climax, and remain relatable.
To sum up my Redemption experience, it’s been wonderful and challenging. I hope all of my readers and can find that one most relatable, immersive character. Cheer for them. Empathize with them. If the reader can do that, I did my job.
The final book, Redemption 3, Death at Downers Grove, is now out on Amazon along with Redemption 1 and 2. You can search Amazon directly or find the link on my website. Stay tuned for upcoming book signings!
Also, feel free leave to your insights in the comments section and visit my Facebook page, and website.
UPCOMING:
My next blog is “Rooting for the Underdog,” a story about one of my former students and basketball players.
I started my fourth book, yet to be titled. A completely different story compared to Redemption. New characters and more suspense!