Today, we have one more special guest post by author Heath Daniels. He talks about the inspirations behind his book Don’t Fence Me In. Make sure to check it out on Amazon, and add it to your GoodReads reading list. Most of all, keep reading and find out how you can win a copy! Take it away Heath!
Inspirations keep popping into my head and won’t let go until I begin writing. It has been a fascinating journey that I want share with you.
Now I’m retired from a career. After Justice! was published with what some readers say is a surprise ending, it seemed time to retire the series as well. Many have said I should write my memoirs, so I began jotting down thoughts and thinking of taking pictures.
Inspiration came with a bang again. Get busy on another story in the series; no memoirs now. Your lead character is transferred to El Paso to take charge of the U.S. Attorney division office there. It’s still in the Western Judicial District of Texas with lots of activity on the U.S.-Mexico border. More serendipity; it’s a city I know well also.
This time the title came readily, a musical title too. Russians are digging a tunnel under the U.S.–Mexico border fence to infiltrate and create chaos in the U.S. A famous Cole Porter song of the 1930s, https://youtu.be/ILyuEtGrMwI, provided the title and subtitle Don’t Fence Me In: They Sang While Infiltrating.
The ideal cover picture was taken by me within five miles of downtown El Paso. The Anapra neighborhood in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, is visible on the other side of the fence, This is where the fictional tunnel begins on the Mexican side.
Synchronicities continued as the inspirations came. In one scene an Asian-American federal attorney is harassed by police. This was before harassment of Asian-Americans and police harrassent became nationwide.
Legal drama continued in three uniquely designed federal courthouses. As a special BONUS, identify the location of each of these federal courthouses. You will get a copy of Don’t Fence Me In along with a special treat.
El Paso strong
The saddest coincidence of timing came right at the end. The horrible massacre of 22 persons in an El Paso Walmart store occurred while I was writing the last few lines. It gave me no pleasure to include this event in the book, but it could not be ignored. Among other reasons, the lead character is a hate crime specialist for the U.S. Department of Justice and will necessarily be involved in the prosecution of the case.
Again, Don’t Fence Me In, brings life to a lesser known location. No, not El Paso; it is well known. Go almost two hour’s drive north to Alamogordo, New Mexico. It’s a government town. Among other things, it is the location of the New Mexico School for the Deaf. Very nearby is Holloman Air Force Base and the White Sands Missile Range where rocket scientists work. The German Luftwaffe has a pilot training base there. It is also an agricultural area producing wine grapes and a major source of pistachios for the U.S. Tourism is very big too with the location of White Sands National Park and the New Mexico Museum of Space History.
Now what? Small inspirations have come to me for subplots in a fifth book. But nothing yet for a full plot. What do you think? Your ideas for a plot? Is it time to write my memoirs?
Now for your GIVEAWAY and SPECIAL OFFER!
The first two persons to reply to this post with a BRIEF description of why you want to read Don’t Fence Me In will receive your choice of paperback or ebook version. Outside the U.S, only ebook.
Ask me about a special offer on a bundle of all four books. You will receive them at a reduced price reflecting a giveaway of one of them. Again, outside the U.S. an ebook bundle.
All four books are current events fiction with legal drama. All have underlying messages of respect, acceptance, and appreciation for all persons, whatever their religion, orientation, or other characteristics. Hopefully you can relate to at least one of these underlying themes.
About Heath Daniels
Heath Daniels is mostly retired from a successful academic career as a professor and researcher in international business issues. He has written and edited books and many articles on the subject. He is often invited to present papers at research conferences in the U.S. and other countries.
He has lived in and traveled to many countries world-wide. These experiences exposed him to many cultures and situations. He developed appreciation, respect, and empathy for all persons everywhere, their cultures and traditions.
During the New Year transition going from 2005 to 2006, inspirations came into his mind to write a book. They would not stop until he sat at the computer and started writing.
This was the start of a parallel career as an academic living and working in various locations and an author of international novels of action and intrigue under a pseudonym.
Now that he has mostly retired from academia, he has continued writing. He has written and published four novels with a fifth still developing in his head.
He grew up and went to a university in a small city in the heartland of the U.S. During his academic career in the U.S., he lived in mostly semi-rural areas in the Eastern part of the country. His international career took him to big cities, small towns, and locations in between.
Upon semi-retirement, he moved back to his original home town which is now a larger, urban, cosmopolitan city that still has heartland roots. He continues to travel whenever possible, most recently returning from a four-week visit to southeast Asia.
Almost all locations in his books are places where he has lived or visited for a long enough time to be able to bring them to life through the books. The vast majority of characters are fictionalized depictions of actual people with whom he has interacted, not always under pleasant circumstances. There are no stereotypes.
His novels feature current events, adventure, and intrigue that are designed to entertain, as well as inform and foster acceptance, tolerance, and respect for all people.
Visit the author at HeathDanielsBooks.com
Some eclectic influences.
It looks like a good read.