Red Room Where the Writers Are

     Several times now, I have mentioned this book I have written, and my lack of luck in finding a literary agent, but to date have failed to mention that which inspired such a story. So, first, I guess I must say that it was a portion of my life that I have used within the story. Then, by bringing in the fiction, the imagination, and basing the novel on my knowledge of what I learned while serving in the Army, I came up with "Troubled Memories."

     In 1982, I was stationed in Fort Devens, MA. I met a girl there and it was one of those fabled, "love at first sight" things for me, however, Brenda was more interested in friendship. After graduating Military Intelligence School there, I found myself stationed in Okinawa, Japan. Brenda went to Germany. I wrote many times, but never heard back. Apparently, she never got the letters. 18 years later, never having mentioned her name, and never hearing from her, Brenda found me on Classmates.com. Today we are married and have a 4 year old boy.

     I wanted to write a book, but wasn't sure where to go with it. And then the idea came, and the words went onto "virtual" paper at a rate I couldn't believe. The adventure, the codes, and the secracy that were all a real part of my life, became the life of the main character, but with some special features. Instead of classmates, the fictional Brenda was working in an intelligence unit out of Virginia and used her clearance to look up an old friend. What she didn't know was that her "old friend"  was now a former government assassin who handled "special projects" in the best interest of world peace. Getting involved with him now would be a little more complicated than it would have been 18 years earlier. On top of this, a failed mission from his past was coming back to haunt him. But that's not all that haunted him. His mind was being controlled by his past "jobs" in a way that was severely affecting his life. The "Troubled Memories" were more than just flashbacks. During his flashbacks, Raymond Billings loses touch with everything going on in the real world and following these episodes, suffers from amnesia to a point.

      So this was the foundation to "Troubled Memories" that will later lead into "The Bird Nest." The synopsis of the first I have written as such:

     "Troubled Memories" is a fictitious account of a former Special Forces Captain who, after working for a special "peace-keeping" organization, leaves that life to live in the small town of Orwell, Vermont; a town he grew up in. A startling chain of events pushes him back into the life he tried to leave behind. The catch? The flashbacks he is trying to deal with are clouding his mind and causing him some serious issues. With the possibility of war coming to American soil, Ray Billings will be battling his own demons, and the worst terrorist organization the country has ever known. His only salvation is a long lost love he had met in his early military intelligence training, and now works for a special intelligence organization in Virginia. This fast pace action/adventure will keep you turning pages and telling your friends and family that you "can't be bothered right now."

     So, in the words of Paul Harvey, "Now you know,.......The rest of the story! :)