REFLECTIONS ON THE MAN BEHIND THE SHADOWS

When I finished Terminal Redemption I had already decided on The Man Behind the Shadows as the title for thriller number five. I guess that’s not surprising, since one of Rowan’s final thoughts as the story concluded is…He’d stay lost, hidden, behind the shadows.

This tale took longer than I planned. My goal had been to complete the first draft by September 2021. Until, of course, Covid flattened me in December 2020, leaving me with indescribable fatigue, body aches and brain fog. I have complete understanding of the cliché “can’t think your way out of a paper bag.” Some days, I seriously questioned whether there would be a fifth book.

My body felt like a land mine of oddball inflammation explosions. After several months of research, reading about forbidden, repurposed drugs, I found a functional medicine clinic in Sioux Falls that would prescribe Ivermectin. For me it was a miracle drug, effecting dramatic change in my ability to concentrate, as well as relief from fatigue and pain in five short days. WOW. Call me forever grateful for the return to normal.

Anyway, a year and a half after my planned completion date, the manuscript was finished. And now, after some final machinations, adjustments to the cover and three different “final readings” it is published and available. I’m pleased to say it’s my best effort yet, in the continual quest of becoming a better writer.

During the tedious re-readings, I found myself curiously surprised, thinking, did I really write that? How did I come up with that? Of course, I carefully catalogued my research, as with each of the other books. But seriously, there’s a lot of this story that I have no recollection of creating. Honestly, I cannot remember exactly how it all got written.

Thankfully, the characters are like old friends, so I’m guessing they took over. As I’ve often told my courageous husband Ernie, most of the time I’d rather talk to the people who live in my head. Perhaps you can begin to understand why I say he’s courageous.

As winter begins in South Dakota, (yes, it’s technically still fall, but note the picture taken from our front porch) I’m taking notes, reading articles and books, researching the next installment of the Rowan Milani Chronicles. Crafting the villains Rowan and his colleagues will face takes a lot of time and digging. A possible title for the next story came to me a few days ago. I like it, but we’ll see how the characters craft this one!