My Writing Process

I’m always curious how writers come up with their stories. If you share that interest, here is the back story of the Wind Chaser suspense novels.

I based much of these novels on personal experiences gathered while sailing the Bahamas over the past forty years. This is, however, a work of fiction, so if you look at your charts while cruising for all the cays and islands mentioned in these books, you may not find all of the ones where Kat and Carter sailed. Many persons and places are real, and when they fit the story, I included authentic details that sailors and Bahamians will recognize. I have been to all of the well-known places, Nassau, Georgetown, and Sampson Cay, as well as some lesser-known ones, including Norman’s Cay and South Andros. Along the way, I heard firsthand stories from many Bahamians and kept them in my sailing journal. To develop a better understanding of the drug trade through the Bahamas in the 1970s and early 80s, a critical part of UNCHARTED, I interviewed and corresponded with George Jung, Carlos Lehder’s partner in crime, while he was incarcerated, and gained his perspective of the Medellin cartel years.

In addition to imagination, authenticity demands a great deal of research. That list is extensive, but I want to mention a few titles that stand out with their varying interpretations of Bahamian history and culture and make for entertaining reading: History of Bimini, by Ashley B. Saunders, Turning the Tide: One Man Against the Medellin Cartel, by Sidney D. Kirkpatrick, Blow, by Bruce Porter, Pindling: The Life and Times of the First Prime Minister of the Bahamas, by Michael Craton, The Tales of Andros, An Island in the Sun, by Diann Hanna-Wilson and Folk Tales of Andros Island, Bahamas, by Elsie Worthington Clews Parsons. I borrowed ideas from all of these perspectives, and leave it to you to decide how much is true.

WWII is the backdrop for the historical part of UNCOVERED. I needed to understand the role of the Bahamas when the Duke of Windsor served as Governor General during WWII. He and his eccentric American wife, Wallace Simpson, influenced the Bahamas, and I read many accounts of his time there. Again, I found conflicting information on his possible connections to Hitler and Nazism. For your own speculation, I suggest: The Windsors I Knew, by Jean Hardcastle, What Manner of a Man is This?, by Sir Orwell Turnquest, Blood and Fire, by John Marquis, Traitor King, by Andrew Lownie, A Conspiracy of Crowns, by Alfred de Marigny, and The Nazi Raid on America, by Michael Dodds.