As many of you boys have noted, some accusatory, some laudatory, I crib shamelessly from some of my favorite authors, most notably Robert B. Parker.
Winter Jennings is, of course, modeled on Parker's Sunny Randall with some Stephanie Plum from Janet Evanovich mixed in. Plus a little of Thomas Perry's Jane Whitefield.
Vanessa Henderson nods to Parker's Susan Silverman. Bear is based on Sunny's friend, Spike.
Winter's son, Walker, owes something to Parker's sort-of son, Paul Giacomin. But a lot more to my own damn son.
Who else?
Well, Sergeant Louise Finch (without the 5 o'clock shadow) is an homage to Parker's Sgt. Frank Belson. Winter's father takes after Belson's boss, Matin Quirk.
Everyone and everything else in my stories flows my own creative genius.
Oh, the Unicorn Club echoes Lawrence Sanders' Pelican Club. And the Unicorn family - - the Cuthberts - - may owe a little to the Pelican's Pettibone clan. Or a lot.
Okay, perhaps my dialogue style is a poor imitation of Elmore Leonard's. With some of Sanders' breeziness.
And that's it. Except for stolen plot lines, sidebar characters, sex scenes and so many other things I can't remember them.
Someone said there are only two plots - - a person goes on a journey / a stranger comes to town. Don't know it that's accurate, but I sort of hope it is. Why? Because it would mean that other tale-tellers might be as cheesy as I am.
Dream on.
Paige