On the Road to Revenge

Gracie? Gracie? Who the Heck is Gracie?

I’m very excited for you all to meet Gracie. Her birthday is January 2, and that’s when we plan to release her story. By the Fire of Gracie. As soon as pre-orders are available, you’ll be the first to know.

Gracie’s a little unstable, rather diabolical, a serial killer with a vengeance, yet you want to hug her, protect her, keep rooting for her, even as she moves on to her next victim, to avenge her mother's murder and the violation of her own innocence. She tugs at your heart while you have to condemn what she’s done.

The most frequent question asked about my writing is: “Where do you get the ideas for your stories?”

It’s not always an easy answer. To say the story just pops into my head isn’t exactly correct, but it’s close in most cases. From dreams or daydreams, a chance comment or line of dialog, an advertisement or a news story – something clicks and the imagination takes off.

Except in Gracie’s case.

By the Fire of Gracie was inspired by a bit of vengeance. Revenge for me, kind of like Gracie, though not quite as extreme in the execution. As much as I might have imagined it.

When Hardy and I first moved to Florida in 2019, we already had a small base of acquaintances from our annual month-long visits. Some we already counted as friends, or thought were going to be.

One evening, soon after we moved here, we were out with a small group. I had already started writing and publishing short stories, had finished the final editing for Haunted in Paradise, my first novel, and had started sending out queries to agents and publishers for consideration.

The male half of one of our regular hanging-out couples, who I’ll call John, was an avid reader and regularly asked pointed questions about what I was writing now, though I could tell he never took me quite seriously. When I regularly asked him, he righteously declared that he hadn’t gotten around to reading anything I’d written yet. Seems I was at the very bottom of his “To Be Read” pile.

He often asked about the status of Haunted in Paradise, whether I’d gotten any interest from an agent or a publisher. When I reported nothing yet, he always replied with a smug expression and some snide, disdainful comment.

John was one of those pretentious know-it-alls, especially when it came to the accomplishments of women. But I was determined not to let him get the best of me. I believed in the value and quality of my writing. So I just continued to answer his questions truthfully, with as much sassiness as I could muster while still staying civil.

One evening, we were at a tiki bar with a group of people. I happened to be seated next to John, and he started to grill me about my writing, particularly what I was going to write my next novel about. After bantering back and forth for a while, he made a suggestion.

He tilted his chin back and his head to one side, and, with a sarcastic half-grin, said, “I think you should write a story about a serial killer.”

I considered for a moment. “Yeah, I think I could do that. Why do you think so?”

“There aren’t many good serial killer novels out there. Most are true-crime documentaries.”

“I suppose that’s true. I’ve never checked it out.”

“Well, I think you need to write one. And besides that, it should be a female serial killer. Nobody ever writes about females doing the killing, only men. Don’t you think women deserve equal billing?”

I knew I was being set up. In fact, I could tell from John’s swagger that he didn’t think I’d take the challenge, and he intended to gloat about it to anybody who’d listen. So, I did what I always do when somebody pushes me too hard and tries to back me into the proverbial corner because they think either I’m lacking in ability or I won’t accept the gauntlet.

“You’re on,” I said with a cheeky smile.

His eyes narrowed and he set his mouth in a straight line. “Okay, good. Let me know when it’s done.”

That was the inspiration for By the Fire of Gracie.

I thought about it for a few weeks, jotted down some thoughts, made some notes. I knew I could write it, but I wanted something more, something more important, than just a woman running around with a gun or a knife and taking strangers out on a whim.

The more I considered John’s challenge and his smart-ass attitude, the more I was convinced I needed to write a story that meant something, that had a deeper message. A message for all those men out there who think women have less intelligence, less skill, less value.

And so, Gracie was conceived. In my mind, in my story. As I wrote, she became very real to me, somebody I could commiserate with, somebody I could laugh with or cry with, somebody I could cheer on for the win.

Oh, wait. Yeah, she’s a serial killer.

Well, you’ll see. I can’t wait for you to meet Gracie.

P.S. By the way, John and his girlfriend are still acquaintances, more distant than close. Neither ever graduated to friend and that’s not going to change. I’ll have a published novel about a woman turned serial killer. John can keep his attitude.