As in each River City collection, all of these stories should stand on their own, but I do believe that the crossover elements and intertwining of characters and story lines is something that most readers find intriguing. Some stories provide a little glimpse into a heretofore minor character, or a closer look at a character we know already. What follows are some facts and tidbits about the stories in this collection. I hope you find at least some of it interesting.
Please note that I will, at times, reference works that aren’t yet published. I’ll only do this if it is, in fact, a work that I have already (or mostly) finished and that I believe will, in fact, see the light of day…hopefully sooner rather than later.
Five For Fighting And A Murder Misconduct first appeared in the July/August 2006 issue of Futures Mystery Anthology Magazine. Kopriva is the darling of Under a Raging Moon and then becomes the tragic hero of Heroes Often Fail. Except for a few brief appearances in Beneath a Weeping Sky, he all but disappears from the River City stage after that. He is the main character in a yet unpublished book called Waist Deep, and it is from that novel that the character of Matt Sinderling comes. “Five for Fighting and a Murder Misconduct” happens in the Fall after the events in Waist Deep (2005). Kopriva has found some measure of redemption but is still carrying around a lot of Amy Dugger guilt, as is surely apparent in the pages of this story.
Beaten By Anger first appeared in the 2006 anthology Seven By Seven. The relation to the previous story should be obvious. This story was my “Wrath” entry for the Seven by Seven anthology.
Cassie first appeared in the Fall 2007 issue of Yellow Mama. Cassie is a character most of you won’t meet until Waist Deep sees the light of day. Some of the events in that book are foreshadowed here, but even without having read that novel, I think the dynamics of this relationship are clear…or unclear, which is kind of the point.
Shae first appeared in the February 2006 issue of Crime and Suspense It was reprinted in the Spring 2008 issue of Mysterical-E.
Laddie first appeared in the July 2006 issue of Crime and Suspense. It was reprinted in the Summer 2008 issue of Mysterical-E.
A New Life first appeared in the Fall 2008 issue of Mysterical-E.
Egyptian Eyes and Irish Lies first appeared in the Winter 2008 issue of Mysterical-E.
Shae and Laddie are a fun couple to write about. Writing from the perspective of one and then the other was also a good time. I narrated an audio version of these stories to accompany their publication in Mysterical-E (They are probably still available in that magazine’s archives).
What’s the point of Shae and Laddie? Well, I think two themes emerge. One is that we are a slave to our nature. The other is that some attractions are unstoppable. I suppose a third theme finds its way into these stories, too: love is universal. It doesn’t matter if you’re a cop or a crook, a sinner or a saint. You feel it.
No Worse Curse is previously unpublished. This was a ‘bridesmaid’ story a couple of times. In other words, it was slated to appear in a couple of different anthologies but both collections never came to fruition. When I realized that there was a connection here between Shae and these jokers, I figured it needed to be included with Shae and Laddie.
Being of Irish and Italian descent, I remain unapologetic for the digs at the English. Of course, given that I’m as much English as either of the other two, what can I say?
This story has one of my favorite endings.
Gently Used is a previously unpublished. It was a hard story to place, because while it involves cops, it really isn’t a mystery or a procedural. And while it has some literary leanings, it is too sexually graphic for most of those venues. I tried a number of different approaches, but simply couldn’t find a home for it. Maybe the story sucks, but I don’t think so. Several different women who read it had quite visceral reactions. Some had difficulty with it being Connor O’Sullivan’s story – they wanted to hear more about Lauren. Or they simply hated Sully, which I suppose is fair enough. The way he treats Lauren is admittedly shitty. In fact, that’s the point. This happens at a time in Sully’s life right between Beneath a Weeping Sky and And Every Man Has to Die. Sully is not atypical of we humans, in that he has a conscience but doesn’t always act in accordance with it. Of all the men who used Lauren for sex, he knows he’s no better and no different…except that he feels guilty for it, and is therefore in the minority. Does that excuse his actions? Nope. Does it make him any better or worse than those others? Well, I guess that’s the dilemma at the core of this story. Does the way someone feels about an action matter, even if the outcome is the same?
No Good Deed first appeared in January/February 2005 issue of A Cruel World. This earlier version of the story has the Battaglia children a little younger than the current incarnation, but that change was necessary to fit in with the events in And Every Man Has to Die. This story also serves as a prologue of sorts for the forthcoming novella Nor Shadowed Heart. Nor Shadowed Heart picks up right after Sully returns from his ten day suspension
From the Roof first appeared in June 2007 at Amazon Shorts. It’s the first story actually starring Glen Bates, though he appears in any number of other ones as a minor character. Here, he is the veteran trainer working with the rookie. This is a scenario that has played itself out in reality tens of thousands of times.I’ve been on both sides of this equation in my years as a cop. Even though most of my tenure has been on the mentor side, I still remember those thoughts and emotions when you’re the rookie. Trying to learn, trying to make a good impression. Being a probationary police officer is probably one of the most stressful times in anyone’s professional life.
Take a Hand first appeared in the anthology The Ex Factor, in 2006 . Bates again, this time after he has retired from the River City PD. His crappy relationship with his son is something that I think isn’t altogether uncommon for police officers to encounter, at least at times. Cops have a particular view of the world, and it isn’t always one that translates well to parenting. I hope it is clear in this story how much Glen Bates still loves his son, in spite of everything.
In the Shadow of El Paso first appeared in the 2007 anthology, Map of Murder (Red Coyote Press).
Jack’s Town is previously unpublished.
Both of these stories take place in the fictional West Texas town of La Sombra, outside of El Paso. The inspiration for these tales was a mish-mash of original thoughts and outside influences. I wanted to write something with a Texas flavor, as the Lone Star State has always been my second favorite state after my native Washington. I also felt the influence of the Marty Robbins song “El Paso” and Springsteen’s “The Line.” In fact, the name of the narrator is an homage to the latter.
I also wanted to capture the character of Isabella as that mysterious, sensual, “perfect” woman that most men desire at some point in their lives. I wanted to show that such women do not exist except in our own minds – every one of them is a real woman when you get right down to it. A real person, with far greater wonder and weaknesses than that fantasy image. My means of making this point was two-fold. One, Carl doesn’t “get” the girl. Two, her actions, particularly in “Jack’s Town,” show her own humanity.
The issue of domestic violence shows up in “Jack’s Town.” This is something I’ve seen far too much of in my “other” career for it not to make an appearance somewhere here.
I also try to explore classism and social dynamics in both of these stories, both in comparing the Mexicans to the Texans, the Texans to the New Mexico cowboys, Jack Talbott to the rest of La Sombra, and the citizenry of La Sombra to Carl, the outsider, even though he’s been there for years.
All of this may not even register with the reader, which is fine. This is a short story, not an essay. Still, these were the things that were on my mind as I penned these two Texas tales.
For those who might wonder some more about La Sombra, there is a third story in this saga, “Long Burdens.” This one appears in my short collection Sugar Got Low, and features longtime La Sombra police officer, John Calhoun. Like some of you, I was intrigued about this man, with his clean white shirts and pressed jeans. What secrets did he hold? And how would he react if pressed?
Well, “Long Burdens” answers those questions. Check it out.
Later in this collection, you’ll get to Book #12, Chisolm’s Debt… which may find you buzzing back through La Sombra…