Research for a Dark Journey
Research can involve more than archives, internet searches, books, and interviews. If possible, going to a location is important to get a feel for it. In Lane Bowden 1973, I wanted to know what it was like in the Heights neighborhood that summer. Houston is notorious for not preserving history, but there were pieces of the past, here and there, to be found.
During the formative phase of researching the book. I went on a lot of location scouting. Driving through the Heights I discovered some of the places that still existed, from the Henley house to the apartments, while others were gone with the march of time. Someone now lives in the house on Lamar Street in Pasadena, TX where the real tragedy ended on August of 1973. I wonder if they know. The most frightening thing to me was the boatshed that looked eerily the same from the crime scene photos. All these journeys influenced the background of the story.
Not long after, I had begun creating fictional characters and I wanted them to live in a real time and place in the epicenter of the crimes, yet be unaware of the horror below the surface of the working class neighborhood. So I decided that my blue collar, drop out, protagonist Lane Bowden would live in the Ben Hur Apartments on 23rd Street, while James Daly who would turn Lane's life upside-down would live on Rutland. Lane's life would be centered in the Heights from his gas jockey job to the Heights Hospital where he visited his mom with the car culture of the time being the only temporary escape.
What if Lane lived in the Heights in the summer of 1973 and was distracted by not having enough money, dealing with his mom's cancer, and being secretly queer when it was not cool to be so during a time when teenage boys would disappear from the streets never to be seen again? With that question I knew I had my story and began writing Lane's journey.
I am working on finding the right home for Lane Bowden 1973 and am going to give the submission process some more time. I am currently writing the final book of my Rebel’s Edge series, Over the Edge and will be submitting those too. In the meantime, check out my previous releases as they are all under my banner, DS as of 2017.
Thank you for your interest in my works!
DS
