(And while we're here….a HUH-YUUUUGE mahalo nui loa to all of you bloggers/reviewers/etc out there that have been so gracious in your time resources lately. It is much appreciated.)
A question I've gotten several times now is where the inspiration for Dead Peasants came from, as let's be honest, I think a fair bit of the story's appeal is that it's a fairly unknown practice that exists today. As people read, (hopefully) they are as drawn into the information as they are the storyline.
LIke most great things in life, the original spark for the story came from my mama. I started writing seriously about six years ago, and in the entire time since she's kept an eye out for random snippets of things that might make for a compelling read. Articles, other books she reads, movies, overhearing conversations in the supermarket line. You name it…
In this particular instance, she had seen some sort of Dateline-esque program where a window had been victimized by a large (shall remain nameless) corporation using a dead peasant policy in her husband's name. Immediately mama calls and tells me I should look into this. There's a story there.
As is also apt to happen…she was right.
The deeper I dug, the more surprised I was at what I found. Not only as an attorney poking through all the legal ramifications of what was going on, but also from the shocking dehumanization of the entire process. (I swear, Im not trying to be obtuse here…I just dont wanna give away any spoilers)
Anyway, this was a topic I'd wanted to cover for quite some time. I didn't think it was the right subject to open The Zoo Crew series with, but it wasn't more than a week after finishing the first novel that I started on this one. By the time I finally did, the length of time I'd had to marinate on the idea, coupled w/ having just finished another book w/ the same cast of characters, meant it practically wrote itself. An exercise in making my hands keep up w/ my mind for sure.
Anyway, that may be far more than anybody care to know…but there it is. Fortunately for me I didn't stumble upon it by being victimized myself, but that doesn't mean that