This week, I’m welcoming author, Randy Rawls.
Randy Rawls was born and reared in Williamston, North Carolina, a small town in the northeastern part of the state. From there, he says he inherited a sense of responsibility, a belief in fair play, and a love of country. As a career US Army officer, he had the opportunity to learn, travel, teach, and hone talents inherited from his parents. Following retirement, he worked in other ventures for the US Government. Every job has in some way been fun. Even the dark days of Vietnam had their light moments, and he cherishes the camaraderie that was an integral part of survival in that hostile world.
Today, he has short stories in several anthologies, and a growing list of novels to his credit. As a prolific reader, the reads across several genres and takes that into his writing. He has written mysteries, thrillers, an historical, and two fantasy/mystery/thrillers featuring a Santa Elf. The count is now at fourteen and growing. He is a regular contributor to Happy Homicides, a twice annual anthology of cozy short stories. He also has a series of short stories featuring a cattle-herding burro. Wherever his imagination will take him, he follows.
Thank you, Evelyn, for allowing me to post my thoughts.
I’ve been pushing out stories for twenty-five years or so. SAVING DABBA is my fifteenth published effort. (No, I won’t mention those that only live on my hard drive.) With the Beth Bowman series, I ventured into areas I once would have never touched. First, Beth is befriended by a homeless group in South Florida, and they have a part in each story. Have you ever wondered about those that you see on the street corners in (I’m guessing) every town and city? What is the story behind those people? How did they end up in such a situation? And, of course, how many of them are for real, and how many use begging as an alternative to getting a real job? In Beth’s stories, we deal with some who have real issues, true reasons for being where they are. Somewhere down the line, I might write about the scammers, but not yet.
Incidentally, in case you’re wondering, Beth is a displaced Texan living in Coral Lakes, FL. Coral Lakes (my imaginary city) lies between Fort Lauderdale and Boca Raton. The weather is idyllic, and the snowbird traffic during season is horrific. About every kind of crime imaginable occurs in the area.
Second, I find myself drifting more toward (what I label) societal issues. And that’s where SAVING DABBA comes in. When a man with no identification is found beaten to death in a public park, Chief of Police Eduardo Elston calls on Beth to help with identifying him. Beth recognizes him by a tattoo on his neck, an outline of Texas with a star where Dallas is. His street name was Dallas.
That is as the chief believed—the murder of a homeless person. He knows Beth is quite protective of her friends and fears she will involve herself in the investigation. He does not need her interference. They agree she will butt out if he keeps her up to date. Detective Deb Holt is the lead on the case and is assigned to keep Beth current with developments. Since they have worked together in the past, Beth is okay with the arrangement. Of course, Beth feels obligated to warn her friends, so she does.
As the FITE language and demonstrations become more violent, Beth becomes more involved. She cannot stand by while stores are looted and burned and more bodies are found.
That’s the driving force in my SAVING DABBA—demonstrations that go from the exercise of freedom of speech and freedom of assembly to flagrant unlawful activities.
Society presents us with many dilemmas. Our forefathers gave us a wonderful document in the Constitution. However, they could not envision the situations of the twenty-first century. We must make decisions about them daily, and that seems to be where my writing is taking me. I don’t claim to be an expert on anything, but I’m not immune to the developments around me.
www.randyrawls.com
https://www.facebook.com/randy.rawls.315
Saving Dabba is available on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Saving-Dabba-Beth-Bowman-4/dp/1984926691/ref=sr_1_1_twi_pap_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1520370020&sr=8-1&keywords=saving+dabba
Jingle and his Magnificent Seven is also available on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Jingle-Magnificent-Seven-Randy-Rawls-ebook/dp/B0753D84HJ/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1520370495&sr=1-1&keywords=jingle+and+his+magnificent+seven
Randy and I would love to hear from you, so please feel free to leave a comment.
