Stories and the Characters in Them

First you need a great story. Then you need great characters to "act" it out. Sometimes a great character can make a story, and sometimes a great story will work with any characters. But when you have both, a great story and great characters, you've got something special. And if you can add great writing to the mix, you've got a real winner.

But there's always that intangible element.  It's called opinion, or personal taste. Meaning, what is great to one person may not be so great to another. And it's about taste. Some people love stories with action, shoot 'em ups, and a lot of blood. But that kind of story could be repulsive to other people. Just like War Stories. Some people love them and some hate them.

And don't get me started on Romance stories. I can't stand them, but obviously a lot of women love nothing better. Actually, I do like a little bit of romance in a story. After all, Killer of Killers has a romantic subplot, and so do my other books. It's not the main focus of the stories, but since romance is a part of life, I did make it a part of them.

If you weave romance into a story with a good helping of action, suspense, and intrigue, then I believe you've got a great story. That's what I've done with all four of my books. And since Killer of Killers is published, and The Vase is in queue to be published, and Killer Eyes is up next, as the sequel to Killer of Killers to be published, I can be happy with how things are turning out. Can't wait to get back to John Dunn. That one's quite a story, too. And completely different than the other three. But not when it comes to romance. I guess that is the one common element in all of them.