How I Chose the Title for RIDDLED WITH CLUES

The title should tell you something about the book. The Book Seller of Kabul by Åsne Seierstad is an informative title, which tells the reader about the setting and a major character. Most titles are more symbolic, but hint at the topic. Examples are Frank McCourt’s Angela’s Ashes, which is a memoir about his mother, and my thriller I Saw You in Beirut, which is set in the Middle East.

I struggled to name my latest thriller/mystery, Riddled with Clues. Here’s the blurb:

A hospitalized friend gives a puzzling note to Sara Almquist. He received the note signed “Red from Udon Thani” while investigating the movement of drugs into the U.S. However, he doesn’t know anyone called Red. The last time he was in Udon Thani was during the Vietnam War. After Sara listens to his rambling tales of all the possibilities, both are attacked. He is left comatose. As she struggles to survive, she questions who to trust: the local cops, her absent best friend, the FBI, or a homeless veteran, who leaves puzzling riddles as clues. 

Early in the writing process, I realized that a number of the clues in the book could be riddles. I also realized I could add tension to the book with the riddles. My heroine, Sara Almquist, and the law enforcement agents in the novel would know the riddles were important clues but they couldn’t make sense of them. 

I thought a play on words might be fun. Riddled can mean filled. Certainly, “Riddled with Clues” sounded more interesting than “Filled with Clues.” Do you agree?

Riddled with Clues is available at Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1938436237

It is also available at Treasure House in Old Town Albuquerque. I'll do a book signing there on Sunday, May, 28 from noon to three. I thought it was appropriate to do a book signing during Memorial Day weekend because many of the scenes (especially chase scenes) are set at the VA Center in Albuquerque and several veterans are characters in the book.

For more info on Riddled with Clues, check out my website: http://www.jlgreger.com.

How does an undercover FBI agent write about Christmas?

Today I'm welcoming a guest  John Wills.

This ex FBI agent is a dynamic speaker. I've heard him play the role of a crook in the "hood" at a Public Safety Writers Association meeting. Granted I'm no expert, but he sure convinced me. I bet he was good at undercover activities while an FBI agent.

Here's what John has to say.

Thank you, Janet, for hosting me on your blog.  

I’ve always wanted to write a feel-good story about Christmas. My story, however, is gritty and deals with some pretty tough topics: PTSD, homelessness, and alcoholism. The Year Without Christmas is the story about a family living in a small town in Michigan. After a tragic accident, they spiral down into the darkest time in their life.

As Robert Frost noted, “No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader.” That describes my journey as I crafted Eric Doyle’s story. Based on my life experiences, and those of family and close friends, I often found myself needing to pause as I wrote certain segments of the novel. My Catholic faith also played a large role in the story, although it never interferes with the stark conditions Eric faces as he winds up homeless on the streets of Chicago.

My bio begins in Chicago. Born and raised there, I was the second oldest of six children. We were a blue-collar family, my parents both worked to afford to send all of us to Catholic schools. I attended from kindergarten through college, and graduated from St. Xavier University in Chicago. I also spent a brief stint in the seminary, studying to become an Augustinian priest.

Instead of the priesthood, however, I spent two years in the Army, and then became a Chicago police officer. Twelve years later, I left the CPD and became an FBI agent. I worked all over the world, and was undercover on several occasions with the FBI. I spent my last six years teaching at the FBI Academy in Quantico, VA. I retired in 2004 and hired on with a training company in Seattle to train military and police throughout North America. I spent the past eight years training and travelling.

I am now fully retired. I continue to write novels, articles, short stories and poetry. Most often, I can be found spending time with my beautiful wife of 43 years, Christine, and my four grandchildren.

My website: http://www.johnmwills.com/

My blog:  http://jwillsbooks.com/about/

My reviewer page on the New York Journal of Books: http://www.nyjournalofbooks.com/reviewer/john-m-wills

My articles on Officer.com: http://www.officer.com/contact/10226421/john-wills