When I had my first inklings of writing a detective novel, I considered that my main character would need a posse. Every detective has a posse. So what sort of people would comprise Rita Mars’ inner circle? They had to be fun, trusted, effective. I discovered over time that some of the most knowledgeable and effective folk didn’t always look the part.
And what is the part of Rita Mars’ assistant and work confident? That role had to be someone Rita would trust when her natural approach to anyone was keeping her distance. Rita Mars does not often ask for help. She does not assume a person is a friendly just because they
present as such. She relies on those she knows have been through the fires of battle, whether that battle is prejudice or war or plain old garden variety bigotry players in the Rita Mars saga.
When I considered Beverly Hills as a character I thought of a good friend I worked with so many years ago. Larry was a gay, black man. In 1967 he was attending Boston University. On his way to class one day, he drove through Boston’s Roxbury district where he was surrounded by a mob, dragged from his car and thrown through a plate glass window. It took more than a year for him to walk again. He emerged from his trauma strong and determined not to let haters dictate his life. I knew he would be the right model for Rita’s right hand.
In The Rita Mars Series, Bev meets Rita as she’s working on a serial case where gay men are stalked and killed in a Baltimore at a notorious “meat market” park in a very upscale part of Baltimore. Rita is determined to find the killer when she mistakes Bev for the murderer as he’s presenting himself for bait to try and catch the killer himself. In the backstory from my first book, DRIVEN, Rita and Bev team to successfully solve the case.
Beverly Hills served his country in Afghanistan when he was known as Charles Tyrell Wheatly. As a kid from the projects in Baltimore, his opportunities had been limited so he joined the Army. Bev served admirably in her tours in Afghanistan. She had taken IED shrapnel when she tricked a suicide bomber into prematurely detonating his explosives vest which saved a platoon. For th0se heroics the Army awarded Bev a Purple Heart and the Distinguished Service Cross.
When she returned home, she not only had PTSD to manage but that notion that she had fought all her 30-some years. The time in hospital for her wounds made it impossible for her to stuff the idea that while her body might be male, her head was definitely not. Bev has not yet chosen transition. That idea remains a chasm to leap for her. In the meantime, she’s dressing as it pleases her and the hell with the haters.
Teaming with Rita on the serial killer gave her not only an accepting friend but gave Bev a safe place to work as she considers where decision and circumstance takes her. She is devoted to Rita and often acts as her bodyguard. It is Bev who keeps the office running for her adrenalin-fueled friend and boss.
So why did I tap Larry as my main model for Beverly Hills? Like Bev, he stood up to hate with strength and dignity. He was never out-of-control angry; something it took me a long time to understand. However, he was also not going to allow the prejudice of others to shape his character. Bev, like Larry, is a person of courage, of loyalty and one never swept away in the grip of hate. She will always be one of my most favorite players in the Rita Mars saga.
In the upcoming monthly posts, I’m going not only to present the profiles of my thriller cast, I want to share how they got to be who they are.
IN THE BEGINNING…
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Me – I need to create make-believable characters. Not as hard, one would think, as I only had to personify the traits from which each player operated. These would be traits I wanted to exploit or explore. And, while I wasn’t going literally to breathe them into the physical world, I knew that I had to make them real.
RITA MARS
If I told you that I am not a part of Rita Mars, you’d know I was full of it. I think of each book’s protagonist as a construct incorporating the author’s view point, a bit of the author’s personality, hunks of author ideology and her larger-than-life response to the main character’s challenges. In thrillers and mysteries, we get to be the protagonist as hero in the end. (Of course, I love this bit!).
Where did Rita Mars come from?
This author has been a rebellious sort forever. I was the bane of my mother’s social senses. I spent a good deal of my youth protesting wars and racism and hate in general. Rita, therefore, is that woman who will charge like the Light Brigade if she believes in the cause. She views people in high places as simply another human who puts their underwear on same as everyone else. Rita speaks her mind and sometimes gets away with it and sometimes she doesn’t. She’s just not going to stop speaking out when she disagrees. Rita will always let the chips fall . . ..
In my career of developing law enforcement and security applications, I had the most instructive education ever in work with federal agencies as well as local authorities. I was honored to work with people who were dedicated. They were smart. They understood the stakes.
I soaked up the war stories from these men and women. They taught me the nuances of surveillance. They recounted the cases that haunted them, the murders, the disappearances, the deaths they could not prevent. Theirs was a passion for holding the line. The toll it took in broken families and splintered relationships could be enormous. Nonetheless, they believed in their mission and they carried their grief and fear in silence. Their stories are part of Rita’s.
Her father had been one of those whose beliefs carried him into the Viet Nam war. It was not the fear of battle that shattered his sense of place in the universe, it was the disillusion borne of his awakening to the savage stupidity of war and the absurd idea that we must coerce everyone to our personal projection of what is right. In the end Robert Mars released himself from his loss of faith. The blow from that escape left Rita Mars clear-eyed about the evils of judgement. It also engendered a stance to keep that small, vulnerable flame of self-belief guarded; to shun intimacy and embrace emotional armor.
The last I’ll say about Rita – it is the wall of self-preservation that hampers Rita’s attachments. While not a battlefield veteran, she’s witnessed the ugliness of betrayal, the infinite appetite of greed, the foundational loss of those we have loved. Underneath her willingness to step into the cage, Rita Mars harbors the belief in a just world and that she will forever nurture the internal spark of that belief against what may come.
On Monday, August 29, Driven: A Rita Mars Thriller, took the Silver Award in the Fiction, LGBTQ category. I want to thank all my readers who took the time to review my work, who sent messages of encouragement and who rolled up their sleeves to help get my book produced and promoted. I could not have asked for more caring support.
About the EVVY’s
The CIPA EVVYs™ is one of the longest-running book award competitions on the Indie publishing scene, running for nearly 28 years. This annual contest is sponsored by the Colorado Independent Publishers’ Association (CIPA).
The CIPA EVVYs™ was founded by Evelyn Kaye twenty-eight years ago. Ms. Kaye was instrumental in bringing independent aspiring authors recognition for their literary endeavors. It is open to all types of independently published books from small presses that are too often overlooked by the giant publishing houses. The contest has grown to receive entries from as far away as England, Belgium, South Africa and Dubai. This year alone, the competition drew more than 400 entrants.
There are over 50 categories eligible to compete which allows a wide range of genres. The panel of judges is comprised of teachers, business leaders, critics, editors and, of course, readers. In this competition, judges must follow strict CIPA qualification process.
Awards are given to the top three highest scorers in each category. To achieve an award is certainly an honor.
The CIPA EVVY’s continue to be a leader in providing a pathway for independent authors to gain recognition for their work.
I am thrilled to announce that Driven: A Rita Mars Thriller is a finalist in the CIPA EVVY Book Awards. I don’t know yet what award I’ve won. I’ll find out on August 29 at the awards banquet whether Driven has won a 1st, 2nd, 3rd or Merit Award.
I am honored to have been selected by this prestigious organization that has, for 30 years, dedicated its efforts to writers’ achieving success. And so importantly, I thank my readers who continue to buy my work and to compliment my efforts.
The CIPA EVVY Book Awards is connected to the Colorado Independent Publishers Association. The competition is open to any independently or self-published print or audio book.
Best Action Adventure Finalist: Murder at Buckskin Joe by JvL Bell
Best Investigator Finalist: At First Light by Barbara Nickless
Best Attendee Thriller Finalist – Fallen Star: The Divine Devils Book 2 by R Weir
Best Investigator Finalist: Striking Range: A Timber Creek K-9 Mystery by Margaret Mizushima
I have read these authors and recommend you give them a try if you haven’t already. Well worth your reading time.
Engaging stories have three elements: mystery, thriller, and suspense. Since 2008, the Killer Nashville Silver Falchion Awards have recognized the best stories from the previous year told through various media. Judges are professional writers, book reviewers, librarians, academics, and—in specialized cases—specific industry peers. Focus is on quality, not popularity.
Each year InD’tale Magazine honors the very best books in the Indie and Small publishing industry by awarding their RONE award. Not offered lightly, any contending book must go through one of the most rigorous processes in publishing, with the three distinct areas of focus that are required to make a book successful in the publishing world. Here are the magazine’s details about award eligibility:
The Review Round: All books in each given year (January 1st – December 31st) must have been read and reviewed by our professional staff of reviewers and be given a 4.5 – 5.0 star rating. All eligible books must be originally published and submitted within that qualifying year. Those books that meet those qualifications will become the nominees and progress to the second round of voting.
The Reader Voting Round: In the second round, all nominees must be voted on by the reading public. The books with the highest number of reader votes will progress on to become finalists. There is a one book limit in this round, however. If an author has more than one book that has received high ratings, that author will choose which book should continue. This rule gives authors the very best chance of success in this round.
The Judges Round: Each book in the finalists will then be read by a group of industry professionals consisting of editors, writers, professors etc. and be judged on a one to five scale from a specific list of requirements such as characterization, technical writing, overall arc, editing etc. Those scores will then be tallied by a professional accounting firm unrelated to InD’tale or its employees to determine the winner of the coveted RONE award, along with the honorable mentions.
Rules and genres are subject to change without notice depending on numbers in each genre.
All awards are announced at the annual RONE award gala where winners are presented with the Crystal RONE award.
Valerie Webster and Driven: A Rita Mars Thriller in the spotlight via Author of the Day interview.
Make your next book club event an author event with a writer who’s lived the cases, developed the crime fighting technologies. Contact Valerie Webster today.
