The “Buck Madison” stories came out of my desire to do several things. The first was to create a mystery character that I wanted to read about, involving:
THE ART WORLD – My background is that of an artist, both as a graphic designer and as a fine artist. So that scene was comfortable for me to explore. When reading art-related mysteries I always found myself wanting to learn a little more about the artist than previous art-related mysteries offered. And this leads us to the second aspect.
FORMAL POLICE PRESENCE – I haven’t read about a hard-nosed PI in the art world. The FBI Art Crime Team is the closest thing we have in this country to credentialing individuals to conduct that kind of investigation. There was only one problem. I wanted a character free of the strictures of a tightly wound organization…and that conflict between his need for independence and affinity for risk could provide fodder for conflicts.
A DYNAMIC PROTAGONIST – I want to read about a guy (generic term I promise) whose fun to be with…witty, irreverent, highly skilled, a rocking body, gets along well with the opposite sex…but with a dark side, lots of issues and most of all grappling with stress. But he has a family, who cares about him, and maybe doesn’t know how to help him. This character is in fucking trouble, mentally, and doing the best he can to deal with it and get on with his life.
A GUERILLA SUPPORT TEAM – Cole Harris, Buck’s former FBI Violent Crimes partner, and now compatriot in their private investigation agency, is a stalwart ‘big brother’ to Buck. Add in hacker extraordinaire Candy, mechanical genius Rick, operations specialist Diego, and logistics wizard Paddy, and you’ve got all the ingredients for plenty of mayhem. Within the city of DC, the homicide detective Naylor is a surly ally, and in Fairfax County, Lieutenant Mann screams at our hero, yet Buck finally earns his grudging respect.
I have also made peace with — and this was the most difficult of all — finding my voice. Now on the sixth book, it took that many to escape the influence of contemporary thriller idols: John Sandford, Walter Mosley, Robert Crais, Carl Hiassen. Started reading more literary authors: Richard Russo & Leif Enger. And realized I can ramble somewhat if I keep the level of style high while still pushing the plot at warp speed.
Going forward: Look for Buck to struggle. There needs to be even more conflict between Buck (my P.I. protagonist) and the world — larger stakes, within the realm of the mystery itself, i.e., personal stakes (a loved one), that resonate within the zeitgeist of art.