New Chapter, New Book

Last Friday, as DW, Kid 1, and I drove to Toronto to visit with Kid 2 and some of our good friends, who also came to Toronto to spend time with all of us, DW was listening to an audiobook to pass the time. I, on the other hand, had ideas for a new novel floating around in my head.

I know, I know. I never finished the sequel to my novel, Songsaengnim: A Korea Diary, but someday, I'll get there. But for now, I'm going to let other stories take me wherever they lead.

For decades, I've been a huge fan of crime fiction and I thought I would like to write a murder mystery, but I never knew where to start. I saw myself more as a writer of spy stories and had focused on those in my early days of writing.

I've just come off reading three crime novels and so, last week, I thought that maybe it was time for me to give it a try. And that brings us back to this past weekend, where I started coming up with a detective story that is set right here, in Ottawa.

Maybe, I'm channeling inspiration from my friend, Peggy Blair, who has written several crime novels, the last two of which were set in Ottawa?

On my way to Toronto, I came up with the victim and where the body is found. On the way home, I started thinking about who the detective will be and who the murderer is. Both of these characters will need more fleshing out, though I've got a good idea about the victim and what led to her death.

It's not as clear-cut as it will seem.

At a book reading, Scottish crime novelist Ian Rankin once said that when he's writing his books, he sometimes doesn't know who dunnit, himself, until he starts reaching the end of the story. Maybe I'll play it that way, too.

Yesterday, after nearly 19 years with my company, I was laid off. It came as a surprise, considering that there was only one writer on my team, besides me, and our manager, and we were all cut. My last day will be next Monday.

As surprising as the news was, and though it hasn't quite sunk in yet, it's a mixed blessing. I was looking to work for only three more years before retiring. That date has been pushed up and I'll now be scrambling to make sure I'm set for retirement.

It sucks that my career has ended sooner but now I'll have more time to put into my fiction, which is a true passion. Technical writing was never that.

So now, I'll switch to focusing on this crime novel, which will open at a location that is only a few minutes' drive from my home, under the Vimy Memorial Bridge, in the Rideau River.

Stay tuned.