Omnimystery News is pleased to welcome writer Liz Strange. A published author of paranormal, horror and fantasy fiction, her first mystery is Missing Daughter, Shattered Family (MLR Press, September 2011 trade paperback and ebook editions), which introduces Toronto PI David Lloyd.
Today Liz writes about the traditional detective story … with a twist.
— ◊ —
I’m often asked where I get my ideas from. Sometimes the answer is very clear cut — a news segment, song lyrics, sometimes just an image. The story behind Missing Daughter, Shattered Family and the book’s central character, David Lloyd, was more muddied. The final story came from a culmination of several incidents (both real and imagined), my love for dance, a desire for story set close to home (SE Ontario) and my support of GLBT rights.
So where did this jumble of ideas and experiences take me? First, to the development of my detective, a character I wanted to stand out from his peers. David Lloyd doesn’t possess super powers, he isn’t the offspring of royalty or famous parents and he doesn’t drive a cool car. He is a regular guy — a son, grandson, ex-husband and former police man. He’s also gay. Now that isn’t the controversy-stirring premise it might have been, say, twenty years ago, but it is outside of the traditional elements of a standard detective novel.
David Lloyd was once a police officer for the Metro Toronto Police department. He came from a solid middle-class family, had a lovely wife and reputation as a hard-worker and dedicated professional. Yet despite all of his success, he wasn’t happy. He was living a lie, and the stress of keeping his secret was killing him. Finally he couldn’t take it any longer.
The decision to come clean, or come out if you will, changed his life forever. At the time he had no idea where the truth would take him, or the consequences to his physical well-being and his career. A shocking homophobic attack would leave him partially deaf and with a bum knee. Even worse he would never be able to return to active duty as a police officer. Refusing to give up, David uses this tragedy as a stepping stone for the next phase of his life by opening his own detective agency.
One thing still haunts him though. The men responsible for his attack were never brought to justice. David is sure he knows who was responsible, and he won’t stop until he can prove it. This part of the story was partially inspired by a real-life situation, a viscious attack on a young police officer in my hometown that was never solved. My twist on the event came from the inspiration for the attack.
Fast forward five years in David’s life and he’s brought into the case of a troubled young woman who’s gone missing, a former dancer. Here I got to live out my childhood fantasy of being a professional dancer, and was able to incorporate this unique niche of society into the fabric of the story.
All in all I think the elements came together in a pleasing, cohesive way, birthing a strong, compelling character that I hope to continue writing about for many years.
— ◊ —
Liz Strange — yes, it is her real name! — loves to hear from her readers and will answer any questions sent her way. You can learn more about Liz and her books on her website, LizStrange.com.
— ◊ —
About Missing Daughter, Shattered Family:
When a brutal homophobic attack ended David Lloyd's career as a police officer, his life was changed forever. Five years later David is running his own private detective agency, where a missing person's case comes to his attention. Digging into the circumstances of her disappearance forces David to realize he has not dealt with what happened to him, and that he can no loner deal with his long-time partner's fear of being honest about their relationship.
Solving the case might not only bring peace to a shattered family, but could finally put David's own demons to rest.