“Point of Infliction” elicits this life through fiction feel for me, and because of that I wanted to share some facts that coincide with real life events, people, and places.
10. “Point of Infliction” is set in Middletown, Rhode Island.
One of my favorite novelist (Dean Koontz) sets his books in RI. I believe it came naturally to me to use the same location. During the prologue (available for preview on Amazon), I was submerged in an intense state of mind. Every word I wrote it was as if I were having an out of body experience. So, the fact that I subconsciously used a placed I personally have never been to either plays to his skill or my loopiness. =)
9. I created a soundtrack for “Point of Infliction” which featured 26 songs total.
The top 5 songs from the POI “Soundtrack” were: Nara by E.S. Posthumus at 422 plays, Stranger In Moscow by Michael Jackson at 361, Climax by Usher (279), Letters From the Sky by Civil Twilight (243), and Save Your Goodbye by Mike Posner (144). If you click on them and read the first 5 chapters of “Point of Infliction” you will feel the songs within the words. The melody will likely take you exactly where I was. Vibe. Vibe, (wo)man.
8. Gary & Connie were shaped after a real life couple I met in 2007 at a Barnes & Noble.
Some people linger in your memory. It was fun people watching at the B&N in River Forest, Illinois that day. During a time when I was noticing a lot of racism I ran into this couple that applauded interracial couples. They admired the genuine love and strength they represented. They had such wonderful spirits that filled the space. They were the type of people you wished were a apart of your family.
7. Some of Derek’s methods of murder were based around Medieval instruments (i.e. garrote, the rack).
We all have a dark side. Mine grew increasingly fascinated with Medieval times during the months of writing POI. Here is some info on the garrote to give you an idea of the level one scene in POI goes to: “The garrote was widely used during the Spanish Inquisition in order to kill heretics who confessed to their crime. If he didn’t confess, he was burned at the stake alive instead. The reason is that being killed by the garrote takes a few minutes at most, while being burned alive takes much longer.”
6. Camille Moore, born on November 11, 1984, shares a birthday with journalist and civil rights activist Daisy Bates.
As I was creating Camille, I envisioned her to be this power, strong, compassionate human being. She had all the makings of greatness, and her beauty matched. I am big on numbers, so having known much about Daisy Bates, I chose to commemorate the greatest sides of Moore by “honoring” her character with the same birthdate as a profound part of Black History.
5. Camille Moore was inspired by Selita Ebanks, Derek Caldwell was by Ben Barnes, and Mariah Green was loosely inspired by Zoe Saldana.
If you’re a writer coming from a fan fiction realm you may have a tendency to view “footage” in your mind the same was a director would. Between 2002 (age 11) and 2009 (age 18) I frequently made character profiles after visualizing the “person”. I find that I can’t help myself, but 9 times out of 10 if you were to ask me, “Who would you have play (character name here)?” I would have an answer.
4. I created Derek Caldwell as the man readers despise loving.
In today’s world it is easy to see a bad guy in a “good” light when you see what his victims were capable of. If you read yesterday’s blog “The Purpose Beyond the Pages” you’ll already understand why this made the list. This #LTF is related to the human condition.
3. Camille Moore’s name means ‘noble, free-born’. Derek’s means ‘gifted ruler’. Both play to the personality of their character.
As I am with numbers, I am with names. Let’s just be real. I am big on symbolism because I discover a lot of it to be true over time. In the land of my fiction I want the meaning to resonate throughout the work. Camille was noble, Derek had the sophistication, talent, and wit of a ruler. That character dynamic alone sets the tone of this book and I have to say I was happy to make that connection. To a young person that relation may be viewed as a child to their parents. We remain noble to an extent, and they rule.
2. Derek Caldwell, born on November 13, 1983, shares a birthday with Vlad the Impaler.
I just want that to sink in. I won’t even say anything else. (Hint: Numerology)
1. I had you in mind.
When I write, I’m not solely writing to entertain. I try to stress that. There are moments in this book that I wrote to reach your heart. I wrote it to keep you’re mind aware of what is so easily forgotten. My only wish is that you grasp it should you read this.
