Shadow
of the Drill is the first book in a series about an
unrepentant enforcer and the violent life that he reads. I would like to say
that it all came to me in one glorious moment of absolute brilliance, but that
wasn't quite how it happened.
Many years ago, I was working on story and I needed
a character's name. I wanted a masculine, one-word name that brought to mind a
specific image, similar to what happens when people hear the name
"Rambo." I couldn't think of the right name, so I called my friend
and asked for input.
She gave me a few names that were not what I was looking for. Finally, she
shouted "Black and Decker," and hung up on me. Obviously, I couldn't
call my character that, but "Decker" had potential.
I never finished that story, but the name stayed
with me. I spent some time thinking about how to use it, and piece by piece it
started coming together.
Black & Decker makes power tools, including the
electric drill. A man who will power into an adversary with unstoppable force
might be nicknamed the Drill – especially if his name is Decker.
And so the character was born. A ruthless enforcer
who has raised torture to an art form, Decker makes his own rules. I enjoy
writing him, mainly because I'm never really sure where his path will lead.
The plot for Shadow
came from a newspaper article about a young woman who had been raped in
downtown Tacoma. It was a small article in the local section, nowhere near the
front page, but it was enough to get Decker his first mission.
